38-year-old veteran Diego Sanchez is looking for a “Proper” end to his 15-year UFC run.
After 15 years of blood, sweat, and numerous performance bonuses, Diego Sanchez appears ready to call it a career and move on to the next stage of his life. It was just last year that a victory over Mickey Gall put Sanchez at two consecutive wins, and Sanchez defiantly aimed at making a run at championship gold and beyond, even though he was deep into his 30s and more than 15 years in the fight game.
Fast forward one year later, and Sanchez has lost two of his last three fights, and the one win sandwiched between the losses was a controversial DQ victory. It all seems to have caught up with Sanchez, as he took to social media to announce/request a desire for a proper sendoff fight.
“I feel like I always knew fighting was what I wanted to do. The end of this fighting lifestyle approaches very soon. Retirement fight needs to be the proper opponent and I’m checking out of this game,” Sanchez posted.
@ufc @danawhite @schoolofselfawareness”
Diego Sanchez’s word choice could very well be intentional. His request for a “proper” opponent may be referring to Conor McGregor, who has recently expressed interest in fighting Sanchez. Dana White shot the idea down because of how far apart McGregor/Sanchez are in their careers right now, but it doesn’t come more “proper” of a sendoff than a big payday that only a Conor McGregor can deliver.
In his most recent bout, Diego Sanchez lost to Jake Matthews in a clear unanimous decision defeat. In the post-fight press conference, Dana White expressed uncertainty on Sanchez’s future. Sanchez has now taken the initiative to play a hand in shaping how he makes his exit, and he and his longtime fans will be waiting to see how the bossman responds.
Do you think Diego Sanchez should have another fight in the UFC? If so, whom do you think it should be against?
