UFC veteran Diego Sanchez sentenced in felony shooting case
Prosecutors were pushing for a two-year prison sentence.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - SEPTEMBER 27: Diego Sanchez warms up backstage during UFC 253 inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on September 27, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Former UFC lightweight bruiser and original “Ultimate Fighter” star Diego Sanchez was arrested and jailed on felony gun charges last summer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after firing shots into the air from a moving vehicle. Sanchez, 44, was sentenced to five years of supervised probation by an Albuquerque judge, according to local news outlet KOB 4 .
“All I can do is take accountability, own it, and spread positivity for the youth of the next generation to change these ways, man,” Sanchez told reporters outside the courthouse. “Not to be shooting out windows like cowboys. ” Sanchez (30-14) has not competed in MMA since losing a unanimous decision to fellow UFC veteran Kevin Lee under the Eagle FC banner back in early 2022.
He later resurfaced for a bareknuckle boxing match against well-traveled pugilist Austin Trout the following year, only to get stopped in the fourth round . Reps for Sanchez attributed his most recent incident to substance abuse issues,