Josh Thomson sympathizes with Diego Sanchez as he claims ‘The Nightmare’ will not be receiving a reply from Dana White and the UFC.
Earlier this week news broke that Sanchez (30-13 MMA) had not only been pulled from his slated May 8 bout with Donald Cerrone but also received his walking papers from the worlds leading mixed martial arts promotion.
According to the report, Diego Sanchez received his full fight purse, win bonus and apparel pay from UFC officials, this despite the proposed bout with ‘Cowboy’ being scratched.
UFC President Dana White suggested that Sanchez’s release was a result of the actions of his “creepy weirdo” manager Josh Fabia.
“I have an incredible, amazing relationship with Diego and I like him very much and I hope he is OK,” Dana White told Yahoo Sports. “One of the sad things that happens, not just in fighting but in sports, and I want you to quote me on this, are these creepy weirdos who come from God knows where and leech onto fighters or athletes. They never do any good for them.”
According to Diego Sanchez, his relationship with the UFC turned sour after Joshua Fabia asked promotional officials to provide the former TUF 1 winners medical records. That request apparently raised red flags with UFC executives Sean Shelby and Hunter Campbell, and the announcement of Diego’s release soon followed.
“Why, when this has already been done, do I have to state this, state that?” Sanchez said. “Yeah, my manager did ask for my list of medicals from throughout my career. I’ve had a lot of injuries. I want to have my history. This is my medical history. I want to have it on file. I want to have what the UFC has. It’s my medical health, right? And as far as I’m concerned, I don’t feel like, after I’m done, if (UFC president) Dana White won’t answer my calls now, won’t let me have a meeting now, once I’m done and I’m out of the UFC, do you think I’m gonna be able to get a hold of anybody? Do you think anything’s gonna go through? No, nothing’s gonna go through. I’m never gonna get sh*t from them.”
Former MMA champion Josh Thomson not only sympathizes with Diego Sanchez, but also agrees with ‘The Nightmare’ that he will never be hearing from Dana White and the UFC again.
‘The Punk’ discussed Sanchez’s release during the most recent episode of his “Weighing In” podcast with John McCarthy.
“I feel for Diego. I want everything to be good for Diego. Okay and Diego makes some very good points. The UFC, because it is like we’ve talked about before, the UFC is not gonna reply to him.” Thomson said. “We have talked about it with what is his name… Spencer Fisher. Same thing, like they (the UFC) just stop picking up your calls. They are not going to pick up your calls. Their doctors are not going to answer your calls anymore. You’re not a current fighter. There is no relationship anymore. And so that is the one thing, that if we are ever going to do a union for, it is for this.”
Josh Thomson explained:
“Now you’re going to start seeing some of these fighters, especially the top ones that have been around for a long time, they are going to want to be able to come back and get some form of medical help for everything that is going on with them, and it is not going to happen. So when we talk about like the Ali Act, I could give two shits about the Ali Act, I care more about let’s get some sort of insurance fund for the fighters for after.”
See the full “Weighing In” podcast episode #143 below: