Tag: Diego Sanchez

Austin Trout on Diego Sanchez fight at Knucklemania 3: ‘I’m going to retire him’ but ‘save him the head trauma’

Austin Trout certainly doesn’t plan to go easy on Diego Sanchez, who says he’s “rapture-ready” ahead of BKFC Knucklemania 3.

[autotag]Austin Trout[/autotag] certainly doesn’t plan to go easy on [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] but says he will show him some mercy.

Trout, a former WBA champion, and UFC veteran Sanchez will make their bareknuckle boxing debuts Friday night when they meet at BKFC Knucklemania 3 in Albuquerque, N.M. The event streams live on pay-per-view on FITE.TV.

Trout, 37, is on a five-fight boxing winning streak, which includes a recent victory on December 9. Sanchez, however, is coming off a significantly longer layoff from competition as he most recently dropped a unanimous decision in mixed martial arts to Kevin Lee in March 2022 at Eagle FC 46.

Sanchez, now 41, also acknowledges this could be his swan song.

“It could be my last fight, the way the world is going right now,” Sanchez said Thursday at Knucklemania 3 media day, via KRQE. “I feel like God’s coming back, and I’m rapture-ready.”

Trout took Sanchez’s comments about a possible final fight a step further.

“Oh, it’s going to be his last fight,” Trout said.. “He already knows that I’m about to retire this cat. That’s funny. He’s like, ‘This is my last.’ But you know what they say about the dying lion. The dying tiger is most dangerous. So, I have not taken this lightly, but yeah, I believe I’m going to retire him.”

Sanchez told MMA Junkie Radio last month that he expects to be “very dominant” against Trout, but many would say it’s a dangerous fight for the first-evet champion of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

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For starters, Sanchez needed extra testing to be cleared by the New Mexico commission to compete at Knucklemania 3. And there’s little doubt who is more skilled with his hands.

Trout speaks like a man who is well aware of this.

“I was all for the New Mexico OGs to fight, and we jumped through hoops to get cleared to make sure he is able to fight,” Trout, whose first-career boxing loss was to Canelo Alvarez in 2013, told Just Scrap Radio (h/t MMA Mania). “Nonetheless, he passed all the medical exams so we have a fight. God willing we both walk away healthy and happy, maybe him not so happy but more so healthy.

“I’m going to knock his ass out. He is too tough for his own good. I’m going to body him, meaning I will go to his body and save him the head trauma.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Knucklemania 3.

Photos: BKFC Knucklemania 3 media workouts

Check out these photos from the BKFC Knucklemania 3 media workouts in Albuquerque, N.M.

Check out these photos from the BKFC Knucklemania 3 media workouts ahead of the event taking place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M. (Photos courtesy of BKFC)

 

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action Feb. 17-18

Check out which veterans of the UFC are in MMA and boxing action this weekend across the globe.

The UFC is back in Las Vegas following the huge UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. UFC Fight Night 219 takes place at the UFC Apex, with a women’s flyweight banger at the top of the card between former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade and Erin Blanchfield.

Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place that feature familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

These 7 veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA boxing this week from Feb. 17-18.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Diego Sanchez breaks down Austin Trout, explains why he’ll be ‘very dominant’ at KnuckleMania 3

Diego Sanchez doesn’t seem the least bit concerned with Austin Trout’s boxing pedigree heading into their Bare Knuckle FC debut against each other. 

[autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] doesn’t seem the least bit concerned with Austin Trout’s boxing pedigree heading into their Bare Knuckle FC debut against each other.

The New Mexico natives are set to throw down Feb. 13 at BKFC: KnuckleMania 3 from Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque. If you’re at all concerned about Sanchez, 41, heading into the bout given the 37-year-old Trout’s skill level with his hands, “The Nightmare” insists there’s nothing to worry about.

“The dynamic and principles of this sport is completely different, and Austin Trout is a ‘Philly shell’ fighter like Floyd Mayweather, except he’s southpaw,” Sanchez told MMA Junkie Radio. “Being a ‘Philly shell’ fighter, you can’t block like that in bareknuckle, man. You’ve got a guy like me, who’s only got to go for 2 minutes of sprint, and I’m putting these bones on you. Whether I’m putting these bones on your shoulder, on your arm, on your ribs, on your sternum, on your liver, on your stomach, it’s gonna do damage. You’ve got to be aggressive.”

The fight will mark Sanchez’s second competition since the UFC released him in April 2021. A Season 1 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Sanchez was released as a result of questions about his health history. Those questions were a point of contention for one New Mexico commissioner before he was ultimately licensed to fight Trout after additional medical testing.

Sanchez most recently lost a unanimous decision to fellow former UFC standout Kevin Lee in March 2022 at Eagle FC 46.

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Heading into KnuckleMania 3, Sanchez believes he’s right where he belongs fighting bareknuckle.

“This sport was made for me – 2-minute rounds, inside fighting, no gloves, and pressure. Pressure, pressure, pressure,” Sanchez said. “This is gonna be a great avenue for me to compete. I just think it’s gonna be a real statement, because a lot of people are all scared for me. ‘He (Trout) went 12 rounds with Canelo.’ Their eyes are like this (widens his eyes). ‘He went 12 rounds with Canelo. Are you sure?’ C’mon, bro. This ain’t boxing, and I’m not Canelo.

“This is a different sport. The moment I get inside, the moment that I start throwing and firing on him, it’s just a different sport. I’m gonna go out there, and I’m gonna prove it. I’m gonna show you what I’m talking about, and I’m gonna be very dominant. I’m gonna be very successful. And, yeah, you guys are gonna be like, ‘I guess Diego had a little more in the tank still.'”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC: KnuckleMania 3.

Diego Sanchez wants Nate Diaz in BKFC: ‘Real Gs don’t wear gloves, homie’

Diego Sanchez hopes to finally throw down with fellow former UFC fan favorite Nate Diaz – without the gloves under the BKFC banner.

[autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] hopes to finally throw down with [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] – without gloves.

Sanchez makes his bareknuckle boxing debut against Austin Trout at BKFC: KnuckleMania 3 on Feb. 17 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M, which is Sanchez’s home city. The main card streams on BareKnuckle TV after prelims on YouTube.

Although they never crossed paths, Sanchez and Diaz were longtime UFC fighters before each recently parted ways with the promotion. Sanchez does, however, have a 2005 win over Diaz’s brother Nick.

Now Sanchez wants the other superstar from Stockton, Calif., and thinks the fight could happen if he impresses against Trout.

“Nate won’t fight me because I beat his bigger brother and he idolizes his bigger brother in this weird way,” Sanchez told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve been trying to fight Nate for 10 years. If this performance can be so epic and so powerful and dominant – and it will be – I have a chance at snagging that Nate Diaz fight. That’s always the fight I wanted, too, because if I beat Nate, then I’m the first guy to ever beat both Diaz brothers.

“You the real G, Nate? Then take off the gloves, homie. Real Gs don’t wear gloves, homie. Real Gs get down in the street – bone to bone, knuckle to knuckle, and the little b*tch ends up buckling.”

But Sanchez also understands Diaz currently is one of the hottest free agents in the game with numerous lucrative options ahead of him.

“I’m telling you all right now: Nate is just like everybody else in combat sports,” Sanchez said. “We’re all just trying to get the highest payday we could get. … So he’s got Conor McGregor, Jake Paul and he’s got Floyd Mayweather. He’s got those three fights that could possibly be big, huge paydays for him.”

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New Mexico approves Diego Sanchez to fight Austin Trout in BKFC after additional medical testing

After health concerns expressed by a New Mexico commissioner, Diego Sanchez is clear to compete against former boxing champ Austin Trout.

[autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag]’s bare-knuckle boxing debut against Austin Trout has the green light to proceed following the submission of additional medical testing.

During a special hearing Tuesday attended virtually by MMA Junkie, the New Mexico Athletic Commission approved the bout between the UFC legend and former boxing champion at the upcoming BKFC: KnuckleMania 3 event in Albuquerque by a vote of 3-1.

The meeting was the second in recent weeks to discuss the prospects of New Mexico’s Sanchez fighting Trout. On Dec. 21, the fight was discussed as part of the event license approval, but commissioner Jerome O’Connell voiced concerns about Sanchez’s health – especially pertinent to the level of opposition.

Since the initial hearing, Sanchez and his manager, Ricky Kottenstette, submitted additional medical testing that included a brain MRI and a neurological exam, which led to approval from all voting commission members except O’Connell. He indicated outside regulatory bodies had voiced concerns to NMAC about Sanchez.

“(Concerns) for me center around Diego Sanchez’s long-standing concerns about neurological issues and concussions, and his concerns in articles and interviews about brain damage,” O’Connell said. “Those, for me, haven’t been alleviated by an MRI and a neurology report. I have some of the same reservations that we talked about when we last got together.

“… I find it compelling that there are concerns outside of our body with this fight. That gives me pause.”

While Sanchez did not speak on Tuesday’s call, he went before the commission at the Dec. 21 meeting and attributed many of the online concerns to his former manager, Joshua Fabia, as hearsay. Sanchez indicated he cares about his long-term health and took it upon himself to get examined to ensure no serious issues.

Both Sanchez, 41, and Trout, 37, will make their BKFC debut Feb. 17 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque. The main card streams on BareKnuckle TV after prelims on YouTube.

Since his UFC departure in 2021, Sanchez has competed once in MMA. At Eagle FC 46, he put forth a competitive outing in a loss against Kevin Lee. In his most recent six MMA fights, Sanchez went 3-3 with wins over Michel Pereira, Mickey Gall, and Craig White.

Trout is a former WBA light middleweight champion with a 35-5 record. He signed with BKFC in November and is on a five-fight winning streak in professional boxing.

Shortly after the commission’s approval, BKFC announced Trout vs. Sanchez on social media. It will likely be co-main event to an already-announced Lorenzo Hunt vs. Mike Richman title fight.

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Dan Hardy returns to combat sports for boxing match vs. Diego Sanchez on July 2

Dan Hardy’s return to combat sports after nearly 11 years will come against Diego Sanchez – but not in a cage.

[autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag]’s return to combat sports action will not come in a cage but rather a boxing ring.

His opponent will be a familiar name from MMA, though, in “The Ultimate Fighter 1” winner [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag].

Hardy and Sanchez have ben announced to meet in an eight, two-minute round exhibition boxing bout on July 2 at AO Arena in Manchester, England. The card is headlined by the comeback bout of former boxing champion Ricky Hatton, who takes on Marco Antonio Barrera.

Hardy, who turns 40 on May 17, hasn’t participated in a professional fight since September 2012. His career was abruptly cut short when he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition that prevented him from receiving clearance to fight. The former UFC welterweight title challenger eventually resolved the situation and was approved to resume his career and has been dabbling with the idea of a comeback for several years.

Looking to spoil Hardy’s return will be Sanchez, who is one of the most notable fighters in MMA history. “The Nightmare” recently had his storied UFC tenure come to an end, and he signed with Eagle FC where he lost his promotional debut to Kevin Lee by unanimous decision in March.

Although Sanchez, 40, said he was still contracted to Eagle FC for more fights, he will pause his time in MMA to lace up the boxing gloves for the first time.

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Eagle FC 46 results: Kevin Lee powers through leg injury, defeats Diego Sanchez via decision

Kevin Lee made a successful debut in Eagle FC against Diego Sanchez, but had to do it on one leg.

MIAMI – It wasn’t easy, but [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] took care of business in his debut at super lightweight.

At Eagle FC 46, Lee (19-7) finally got the chance to fight at 165 pounds. Standing across from him at the FLXcast Arena was Diego Sanchez (30-14), a fellow UFC veteran who was also making his debut with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion. When it was all said and done, it would be Lee who overcame injury to emerge victorious with unanimous scores from the judges.

Sanchez got the action started with a hard, perfectly-placed, outside leg kick. Soon after, the fighters traded hard punches. Lee answered back with a hard kick of his own. Sanchez looked sharp early with punches and landed a few hard kicks to the body.

As the first round progressed, it appeared that the first leg kick may have compromised Lee’s movement. Regardless, Lee found an opportunity to do what he does best by shooting in for a takedown and bringing the fight to the ground.

Sanchez was able to get back to the feet after avoiding submission, but the pair remained clinched against the fence. Lee unleashed a strong flurry of punches in the closing seconds of the round.

The second round started with Sanchez landing another hard kick to the lead leg of Lee before they continued punching exchanges. Lee landed cleanly, appearing to hurt Sanchez. However, Lee dropped to one knee momentarily after another kick landed to the left leg, and Sanchez began targeting it, forcing Lee to switch his stance.

Knowing his movement was compromised, Lee quickly brought the fight back down to the ground, ending up on top and working ground and pound strikes until the round ended.

Sanchez looked to damage the leg quickly in the third, but Lee was ready and countered with punches nicely. Blood began to flow from Sanchez’s nose, but he continued to fire quick punches. Despite operating on a damaged leg, Lee was able to control the cage for the majority of the round. With just over a minute remaining, Lee landed a left hand that dropped Sanchez, and followed him to the ground to dish out more ground and pound, but was unable to get the stoppage before the end of the fight.

All three judges turned in scores of 30-27 in favor of Lee.

During his post-fight interview, Lee said he believed his left knee indeed was blown out by the very first strike from Sanchez. With Nurmagomedov looking on cageside, Lee made his case for a title shot in his next fight.

With the win, Lee bounces back into the win column after dropping his two previous UFC outings to Daniel Rodriguez and the current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

On the other side, The Ultimate Fighter 1 veteran Sanchez walks away with his second consecutive loss by decision. He hopes to finish out the last two fights on his Eagle FC contract before assessing his career.

The full results of Eagle FC include:

  • Kevin Lee def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Rizvan Kuniev def. Anthony Hamilton via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:17 – for heavyweight title
  • Ray Borg def. Ricky Bandejas via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Handesson Ferreira def. Zach Juusola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Raimond Magomedaliev def. Impa Kasanganay via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Ikram Aliskerov def. Nah-shon Burrell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Irwin Rivera def. Firdavs Khasanov via TKO (body kick) – Round 2, 4:48
  • Archie Colgan def. Dylan Mantello via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Tyler Ray def. Thomas Webb via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Sitik Muduev def. Caio Uruguai via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ryder Newman def. Manny Walo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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Twitter reacts to Kevin Lee’s first post-UFC win over Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46

Check out the top Twitter reactions to Kevin Lee’s convincing win over Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] was successful in his first post-UFC fight on Friday when he defeated fellow octagon veteran [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] in the Eagle FC 46 main event.

Lee (19-7) outworked Sanchez (30-14) to a unanimous decision in the 165-pound fight at FLXcast Arena in Miami, and afterward he called for a title shot.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Lee’s win over Sanchez at Eagle FC 46.

Eagle FC 46: Lee vs. Sanchez live and official results

Follow along for live results from Eagle FC 46 in Miami.

Eagle FC 46 takes place Friday, and you can join us for live and official results beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion continues to grow with familiar names. Friday’s event at FLXcast Arena in Miami is headlined by a super lightweight matchup between UFC veterans Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez.

The event is available to stream for free by signing up on the Eagle FC website.

Lee (18-7) gets his long-awaited wish as he will compete in the 165-pound division. He hopes to revitalize his career in Eagle FC after exiting the UFC in a division he feels will be best suited for his body type. Sanchez (30-13) will also be competing for the first time outside of the UFC since his exit in September 2020. The Ultimate Fighter 1 veteran is out to prove he can still compete with the best.

The co-main event is a heavyweight title bout between champion Rizvan Kuniev and challenger Anthony Hamilton. Kuniev (11-2-1), winner of his last nine, hopes to reach double digits while defending his title. Hamilton (18-10), a 10-fight UFC veteran, will look to rebound from his last outing in a big way to claim gold.

Below are the official results of Eagle FC 46:

MAIN CARD (FLXcast)

  • Kevin Lee vs. Diego Sanchez
  • Rizvan Kuniev vs. Anthony Hamilton – for heavyweight title
  • Ray Borg vs. Ricky Bandejas
  • Handesson Ferreira vs. Zach Juusola
  • Raimond Magomedaliev vs. Impa Kasanganay

PRELIMINARY CARD (FLXcast)

  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Nah-shon Burrell
  • Irwin Rivera vs. Firdavs Khasanov
  • Archie Colgan vs. Dylan Mantello
  • Thomas Webb vs. Tyler Ray
  • Caio Uruguai vs. Sitik Muduev
  • Manny Walo vs. Ryder Newman

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