Written by Diego Sanchez | TMZ
Diego Sanchez was taken into custody last month on multiple gun charges, and the arresting officers barely recognized the former UFC star.
On Friday, TMZ released body camera footage from the Albuquerque Police Department, which showed Sanchez cooperating with officers after being pulled over following a report that Sanchez had leaned out of a car window and fired a gun in the air while passing a crash. Sanchez was later charged with 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.
In the footage, Sanchez isn’t seen resisting, though he complains to the officer that a pair of handcuffs are biting into his wrists and causing him to bleed. The officer assures Sanchez multiple times he is not bleeding.
Two officers then converse, with one noting, “So this is Diego Sanchez. As in UFC fighter Diego Sanchez. I thought I recognized it, too, but this guy, he’s kind of a bigger name.”
Sanchez, 43, has competed professionally in MMA for over 20 years, with his most recent appearance taking place at an Eagle FC event in Miami in March 2022. He lost a unanimous decision to fellow former UFC fighter Kevin Lee to see his career record drop to 30-14.
During a run with the UFC from 2005 to 2020, Sanchez established himself as a fan favorite. He won a middleweight tournament on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, then went on to compete at 170, 155, and 145 pounds. It was at lightweight where Sanchez had his most success as he challenged B.J. Penn for a title at UFC 107 in December 2009, losing via doctor stoppage in the fifth round.
He finished his UFC run with a 19-13 record, which included seven Fight of the Night awards. In 2019, Sanchez was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing alongside Clay Guida for their classic duel that took place at a Fight Night event in 2009.
In Sanchez’s most recent combat sports appearance, a bare-knuckle boxing match against Austin Trout at a BKFC event in February 2023, he lost via cut stoppage.
Following his arrest on July 18, Sanchez was released from jail and he awaits trial for the gun-related charges.