In a shocking turn of events, Joshua Fabia has accused Diego Sanchez of taking advantage of him, just days after it was announced that they had ended their professional partnership.
Sanchez’s attorney Charles Lakins announced last week that his client has decided to sever his ties with Fabia. He also added that any power of attorney the controversial coach had has been terminated. The self-awareness coach however, claims that he was the one to end the working relationship.
The announcement came a fortnight after Sanchez and Fabia appeared in several videos, accusing the UFC bigwigs of malpractice, following the veteran fighter’s release from the promotion.
The MMA community, including several fighters, have called out Fabia during the past few weeks for taking advantage of Sanchez.
Sanchez’s ‘A**hole Tendencies’
Speaking to Behind the Scenes with Summer Helene (as transcribed by Bloody Elbow), Fabia said that Sanchez’s behaviour during their time together had raised several red flags.
“Diego was definitely a celebrity. He had some celebrity a**hole tendencies,” Fabia claimed. “He didn’t like tipping and he did some weird stuff in front of me that, you know, threw out some red flags. But over time, just talking to him, it kinda just seemed, like I said, the celebrity stuff… Things like, you get a divorce and you have a child, but you get a one-bedroom condo. Things just didn’t make sense to me. But I’m thinking, ‘OK, he’s got his own plans, he knows what he’s gonna do. Maybe it’s just super temporary, I don’t know.’
“And I’m wondering, ‘Why he’s driving around a $3,000 Mercedes?’ Just questions that throw out flags, but I’m thinking, ‘He’s telling me he’s frugal. He’s saving his money. OK.’ From everything on the outside, as a trainer that’s seeing somebody three days a week… and then I moved him into the condo. I helped him in the divorce and this little moment. And everything seemed pretty much the same as anybody else under these circumstances, to a certain degree.”
‘Taking Advantage Of Me’
Fabia continued by accusing Sanchez of substance abuse and sexual abuse issues, while also saying that the MMA legend had been taking advantage of him for the past two years. Not the other way around.
“As I get to more information as I’m with the lawyer, and the lawyer talks to Diego and asks Diego about his education, and he starts talking about he was in special education,” Fabia said. “Holy s***. Huge red flags, man.
“This is not, at all, what anyone who perceived, and Diego is not anywhere near what anybody knows, man. And Diego has been an addict. He hasn’t told anybody for the past five months, I was his sponsor living with him. That I had to live there because he was broke and lost all his money, and strung out on Kratom and alcohol and 30 other substances. That he has sexual abuse issues. No, he didn’t say any of that, man. And I’ve been holding up all this. I’ve been doing everything. And everybody’s coming at me.
“I’ll put it out there, I’ll put out all the proof, I’ll put out all the videos, man. Diego has clearly been taking advantage of me for two years, as I have been fighting for him, and putting myself on the line for him with zero benefit. I am the one getting death threats here.”
NSAC Allegations
Fabia almost got Sanchez’s UFC 239 bout with Michael Chiesa cancelled, when he told the Nevada State Athletic Commission that his pupil knew a technique similar to the ‘Stone Cold Stunner’ that could potentially kill his opponent. The revelation forced the commission to raise its concerns over fighter safety with the UFC.
Sanchez went on to fight Chiesa nonetheless, but lost via unanimous decision. Fabia now claims that the commission urged the Albuquerque native to throw the fight.
“So, this moment happens where the Nevada State Athletic Commission comes in and leans on Diego, and he has to throw a f***ing fight,” Fabia said. “Now, I have them recorded… You go watch the fight, and it’s the only fight in Diego Sanchez’s history that he never threw a punch.
“The way that they did it, is in the lean, which is in talking to somebody and dangling their license and explaining, ‘Are you really trying to hurt this man? You’re not trying to hurt him, are you Diego? You’re a sportsman, Diego. You’ve always been a good guy, Diego. You’re not gonna do anything with malicious intent, are you Diego?’
“You can call that the way you call it, but the Nevada State Commission is not supposed to come in 30 minutes before a f***ing fight, and come and kick everybody out, and come and talk that type of s*** to a fighter and get in their head. Then on top of it, the last time Diego was a ‘sportsman’, he was a wrestler. So the first thing he comes out and does is goes and takes this guy’s leg. And he never throws a punch.
“So, you tell me. How come my fighter that’s been training for ten weeks to strike didn’t throw a strike?”
What do you make of Joshua Fabia’s accusations against Diego Sanchez and NSAC?
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