{"id":225450,"date":"2017-03-01T07:39:30","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T15:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=225450"},"modified":"2017-04-14T14:18:28","modified_gmt":"2017-04-14T21:18:28","slug":"diego-sanchez-explains-choice-change-nickname-lionheart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/diego-sanchez\/diego-sanchez-explains-choice-change-nickname-lionheart\/","title":{"rendered":"Diego Sanchez explains choice to change nickname to &#8220;Lionheart&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Diego Sanchez, who is one of the most experienced veterans in the UFC today, has typically fought under the nickname &#8220;The Nightmare.&#8221; Apparently, however, that is no longer the case.\u00a0Several days ago, The Ultimate Fighter season one veteran took to Instagram to announce that he was changing his nickname from The Nightmare to &#8220;Lionheart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BQ91rCGD&#8211;Y\/?taken-by=diegonightmaresanchezufc<\/p>\n<p>At a glance, the reasons for this nickname shift seem pretty straightforward. If there&#8217;s one thing Sanchez is known for, it&#8217;s heart \u2013 heart that he has displayed in riveting, back-and-forth brawls with fighters like Gilbert Melendez, Martin Kampmann, Clay Guida, and others.<\/p>\n<p>Last night, however, Sanchez posted a video to Instagram explaining a deeper reason for this nickname change. Apparently, the lightweight veteran hopes to encourage his legions of dedicated fans to tap into their own lion-heartedness \u2013 whether they are aspiring fighters or not.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BRFIWPSjEQ_\/<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m really, really embracing this Lionheart thing,&#8221; Sanchez says in this video. &#8220;I know some of my fans out there are going to be disappointed [with the nickname change], but what this is about is a movement, about brining the lion heart out of millions. It&#8217;s inside every one of you guys. The lion heart is inside, you gotta let it out. \u00a0You gotta let it out, and that&#8217;s what this is about. So today, I ask you, if you like my posts, Retweet me, repost me, and let&#8217;s get this movement going right now, today.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It is worth noting, of course, that Sanchez has changed his nickname before. Several years ago, he briefly changed his nickname to &#8220;The Dream,&#8221; before eventually reverting back to The Nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>Sanchez&#8217;s first fight under this new monicker will occur at UFC Nashville on April 22. His opponent will be talented New Yorker Al Iaquinta, who is <a href=\"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/al-iaquinta\/al-iaquinta-return-octagon\/\">returning from a short-lived retirement.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What do you think of this new Diego Sanchez nickname? Sound off, PENN Nation!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>BJPenn.com<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>\u00a0on 3\/1\/2017.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diego Sanchez, who is one of the most experienced veterans in the UFC today, has typically fought under the nickname &#8220;The Nightmare.&#8221; Apparently, however, that is no longer the case.\u00a0Several days ago, The Ultimate Fighter season one veteran took to Instagram to announce that he was changing his nickname from The Nightmare to &#8220;Lionheart.&#8221; https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BQ91rCGD&#8211;Y\/?taken-by=diegonightmaresanchezufc [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":127615,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10174],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site 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