Getty Conor McGregor is seen on the sidelines before the NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2018, in Arlington, Texas.
Two names that have been linked many times in the past are Conor McGregor and Diego Sanchez.
Although they have never shared the UFC Octagon, they’ve issued challenges to each other several times throughout the years. However, a fight has never come together as their careers have gone in different directions.
McGregor, who has been with the UFC since 2013, became the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-division champion by winning both the lightweight and featherweight titles. “Notorious” is also the biggest star in MMA history.
Since 2005, Sanchez has been a notable name in the UFC, fighting 32 times in the promotion and competing in four different weight divisions. He fought for the 155-pound belt once, a unanimous decision loss to BJ Penn in 2009.
In September, McGregor shared on Twitter private messages from February 2020 that he exchanged with UFC President Dana White. In the messages, Notorious told White he wanted to fight Sanchez next, with White replying, “We should lose our promoter’s license if we make that fight,” insinuating that McGregor is a much better fighter than Sanchez.
To Diego Sanchez…
I seen your recent comments about your final bout and I am in!
After you fought Pereira, I had requested for myself and you to compete in Dublin. This was back in February when I was working on opposition for my season, pre covid.
Good luck this weekend!
Late last month news broke that Sanchez was cut from the UFC ahead of his bout with Donald Cerrone, which was set to take place Saturday, May 8, 2021. According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Sanchez was released from the promotion after he and his team would not “confirm to the UFC that Sanchez was not suffering from either short-term or long-term medical issues” from his fighting career.
Sanchez’s coach and manager, Joshua Fabia, has taken a lot of heat from the MMA community since “Nightmare” was removed from the roster, with many blaming Fabia.
On Friday, McGregor took to Twitter to give his take on Fabia and Sanchez’s relationship. Keep reading to see what the Irishman had to say.
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McGregor Reacts to a Training Video of Fabia Hitting Sanchez As He Hangs Upside Down & Closes Eyes
Fabia’s training techniques have been called into question since a video showing him chasing fighters with a knife inside a cage went viral. On Friday, a video was shared online of Fabia’s unorthodox training methods with Sanchez.
The video shows Fabia striking Sanchez while the fighter hangs upside down with his eyes closed.
Taking to Twitter in response to the latest video, McGregor told Nightmare that he’s been with him “the whole way” and to “ditch” Fabia.
“This is just madness,” McGregor wrote in a now-deleted tweeted. “I’ll break this things nose in half. This not the move Diego, my bro. I been with ye the whole way, and still am. But this is not on. It was unfair treatment by commentary and fans on your last performances imo, for sure. But not on this guy, 0-0. Ditch.”
“Notorious” isn’t against hardening the body by sustaining blows in practice, however he didn’t approve of Fabia’s methods.
“I’m actually on the side of body hardening work also,” he continued. “Working the body etc. But doing it hanging upside down, and getting the dome of the head struck repeatedly, while covering vision, is preposterous! Grab this guy by the ears and head butt him at his front door first thing.”
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McGregor Continued With His Thoughts
GettyDiego Sanchez in his Welterweight bout against Frank Camacho during UFC 228 at American Airlines Center on September 8, 2018, in Dallas.
McGregor also brought up the videos Sanchez shared of himself and Fabia confronting multiple UFC employees. Sanchez and Fabia took issue with the commentary team, Brendan Fitzgerald and Daniel Cormier, for Sanchez’s fight in February 2020 against Michel Pereira, saying that they were disrespecting Nightmare. Watch the videos here.
During the back and forth, Fabia was accused by UFC employees, including Megan Olivi, of making the conversation all about himself. McGregor agreed.
“I watched the engagement with the broadcast team with an open minded judgement and an understanding that there was disrespectful comments made against you,” McGregor tweeted. “You were right to pull this up. But the other guy took over the convo. Made it all about him. This is not his story Diego.”
Notorious then tweeted: “Box his nose in and ditch him.”
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