In retrospect, [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] says he understands why his Bellator 241 fight was canceled.
Almost months removed from having a fight on the books, Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) has embraced a positive, understanding attitude in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic. When the dust settles and normalcy returns, Sanchez thinks MMA fighters will be seen as heroes.
“I think we’re going to be seen as heroes,” Sanchez told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “A lot of people are against it. We’ve got to take our necessary precautions. That’s the beautiful thing about being a martial artist and a fighter. This isn’t a team sport. This is us in a ring, and this is how we provide for ourselves. We’ve got to be able to fight to make a living. We’ve got to be able to train to take care of ourselves. Otherwise, what else are we going to do?
“We aren’t basketball players or football players, etc., who get signed to million dollar deals or guaranteed money whether we play or we don’t. We have to fight to make a living, so we’re really going to be the unsung heroes here.”
On March 12, Sanchez was hours away from stepping in the cage to fight Daniel Weichel at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. The fight was a quarterfinal matchup in the Bellator featherweight grand prix.
“I had a whole post-fight interview (planned),” Sanchez said. “You know what I mean? (I knew) what I was going to say. … All fight week, I’m in New York. I’m shaking hands. I’m meeting people and other fight teams. I’m doing whatever. In my mind, in my world, I’m getting ready to win this grand prix, win this fight, on to the next fight, etc.”
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Disappointed, Sanchez booked a flight immediately after hearing news of the cancellation. During his journey from Connecticut to Wisconsin, he slowly realized the cancellation wasn’t as important as other happenings in the world.
“There I was thinking, ‘Man, here I am. I’m supposed to be getting ready to fight right now, and I’m getting on a flight back to Milwaukee,'” Sanchez said. “I come to find out people were beating each other up for toilet paper. … It was hard for me to fully understand all that was going on. More and more, as I started to learn, hear and find out what was happening, I became more and more sentimental toward the situation – and empathetic with the situation. I’ve been trying to do my part and be smart and be wise and do what needed to be done.”
Bellator president Scott Coker has hinted the promotion has begun looking into crowd-less events in anticipation of a summer 2020 return. Whenever or wherever the first event takes place, Sanchez expects he’ll be on it.
“I’m all open for (an event) with no fans,” Sanchez said. “It sucks. This is, of course, this is all about the fans and for the fans. I mean, I love to fight no matter what. A million people or no people, we’ve got to do what we got to do. Either way, these fights will be broadcasted for DAZN or all the live streams that they have for all the fans. I’m really looking forward to go out there and fight.”
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