Former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez was arrested on two gun-related charges and is in custody in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
According to an arrest record acquired by MMA Fighting, the 43-year-old was taken in at 12:01 a.m. and booked for shooting at or from a motor vehicle (no great bodily harm), a fourth-degree felony, and negligent use of a deadly weapon (discharge), a misdemeanor.
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Sanchez allegedly leaned out of a passenger-side window and shot a firearm into the air. After police followed the vehicle and arrested Sanchez, he denied firing the gun but admitted the firearm was in the car.
The driver is not facing charges but reportedly told authorities Sanchez fired the gun. Sanchez was also laughing while being probed by the officers, according to MMA Fighting.
Sanchez won Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show by earning a split decision over Kenny Florian in 2005. He remained in the organization until 2020. His memorable 2009 fight against Clay Guida was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019. Sanchez ended his MMA career on a loss against Kevin Lee in Eagle Fighting Championship and walked away with a 30-14 record.
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Sanchez tallied seven Fight of the Night bonuses in his UFC tenure.
At the tail end of his career, Lopez worked with and had a fallout with Joshua Fabia, the founder of the infamous School of Self-Awareness. Fabia’s bizarre training methods included chasing students around a cage with a knife and punching Sanchez on the head while hanging upside down. The two parted ways in 2021 when Sanchez paid Fabia $100,000 for his “freedom.” The transaction was filmed and posted online.
Following his arrest on Friday, Sanchez’s representative, Ricky Kottenstette, told MMA Fighting that Sanchez has been struggling with substance abuse and went into rehabilitation on several occasions to seek treatment.
