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A UFC coach was caught on video using an unorthodox training technique that basically consists of him chasing his fighters around a locked cage with a “real, sharp blade”. You can watch that very strange scene below.
The trainer’s name is Joshua Fabia, the founder of a gym called the School of Self Awareness and trainer for UFC welterweight contender Diego Sanchez.
Obviously, Fabia who has been described by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani as Sanchez’s “guru/coach/manager”, has been the subject of much controversy in the sport.
Spoke to Diego Sanchez and his guru/coach/manager Josh Fabia on the #HelwaniShow pod today. It was enlightening. You can listen to the full conversation wherever you get your podcasts.
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Despite what MMA Junkie terms “no MMA training experience”, Fabia did actually lead Sanchez to a win in his last fight.
Sure, Sanchez’s opponent Michel Pereira was disqualified in the contest for using an illegal knee in a fight he was winning, but it was a win nonetheless.
At least that’s what Sanchez thinks.
@betufcwithme @_hillsr @ConOfCombat No idiot! I won the fight a win is a win that quantified the income for my family
Video Shared on Social Media by Rival Welterweight
The video of the knife chase inside an MMA training cage was shared on social media by UFC welterweight Emil Meek who said he hopes to face Sanchez soon.
The fighter had previously shared his own wild experience of having trained with Sanchez and Fabia. Most notably, Meek told the media about being locked inside the cage with other fighters and chased by Fabia with a “real, sharp blade.”
Meek told South China Morning Post’s Tom Taylor about the incident back in February:
“How can I put this? I went in full-belief mode: Everything they tell me to do, I’m going to do it 100 percent. Man, it was the craziest sh** I’ve ever done. At one point, Joshua, he was running after us in a locked cage with a real, sharp blade to make us move.”
In his interview with Taylor about his experience training under Fabia, Meek said he was only there for one day and that he didn’t think Sanchez should be doing all these types of wild activities because he didn’t believe they would help Sanchez or anyone else win fights.
“I don’t think he’s going to do very well in the UFC with this stuff,” Meek said.
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More About Fabia’s School of Self-Awareness
Indeed, Fabia’s School of Self-Awareness describes a very different approach to MMA training. Heck, Fabia’s School of Self-Awareness describes a very different approach to all types of training.
Per its official website:
School of Self Awareness is helping others help themselves. SoS feels that people are able to serve better when they serve themselves first. Our main objective is for people who want to be of service to the world, which comes from first having empathy, compassion, and love for oneself.”
We utilize ancient wisdom with modern innovations to communicate the SoS METHOD worldwide. Through the principles of self-awareness, SoS sees members around the world gaining a deep understanding of themselves. Through this understanding, they are able to help themselves and as a result help and understand others. This has lead to building and connecting communities worldwide.
Regardless, Sanchez is currently scheduled to return to action against Jake Matthews at UFC 253 on September 26.
Maybe after that, Sanchez could face his new rival Meek who shared the video on social media.
If that happens, there won’t be any sharp blades to stand between them then.
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