In the early years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), retired mixed martial arts fighter Diego Sanchez rose to prominence and became well-known for his aggressive fighting style and unconventional personality. He was born on December 31, 1981, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he later trained and became popular in the local mixed martial arts community.
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Sanchez experienced sorrow and adversity in his early years. When he was barely six years old, his mother passed away, and as a teenager, he battled homelessness and poverty. He began training in boxing and wrestling as a way to channel his energy and deal with his trying circumstances, but he also discovered a passion for combat sports.
Sanchez made his professional MMA debut in 2002, and he quickly became a tough enemy. He joined the UFC after signing, where he would go on to have an impressive career after winning his first three fights through submission. But behind this tough image, rumors are spreading that the mixed martial arts fighter is a homosexual.
Is Diego Sanchez gay? Are those rumors about his sexual preference true? Know the answers in this article.
VOTE: What is Diego Sanchez’s Sexuality?
Past Relationships
Sanchez has been relatively private about his romantic relationships. However, it’s no secret that he was married to Bernadette Sanchez in 2011 and has a daughter with her. Bernadette was his high school love interest.
But the relationship didn’t last long as the two decided to separate in 2019.
Before he got married to Bernadette, Sanchez was linked to Ali Sonoma, a UFC ring girl. Sonoma was a California-based model who is well known for her appearances in the ring. It was said that Sanchez dated her and even proposed to her in 2007. But things didn’t work out well and they decided to break off the engagement. He just wanted to be single and focus on his career.
Diego Sanchez seems to have a thing for ring girls as he was linked to both Edith Larente and Anne Rivera, who were both UFC ring girls. However, he currently doesn’t have any girlfriends as of writing.
Controversy and Legal Troubles
In recent years, Sanchez’s career has been marred by controversy and legal troubles.
Diego Sanchez once met a woman online who made him believe that he was the father of her child. Because of the uncanny similarities, Sanchez did not ask for DNA and raised the child as his own. He was then denied access to the child when he got married to Bernadette. He tried to win custody of the child and hired a lawyer. However, in the process, he eventually had a DNA test and it turned out that there were no blood relations.
He was also scammed by one of his closest friends into an investment worth $150,000.
In 2020, he was released from the UFC following a series of bizarre incidents, including a public falling out with his longtime coach, Joshua Fabia. Sanchez also raised concerns about his mental health and accused the UFC of mistreating him and not providing adequate medical care.
In November 2022, he signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. After being cleared by the New Mexico Athlete Commission to compete, he faced former WBA super welterweight champion Austin Trout on February 17, 2023. Unfortunately, he lost via TKO after the doctor stopped the fight in the 4th round.
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Homosexual Relationship
Diego Sanchez appeared in an edition of “True Story With Josh Gibson”, together with Joshua Fabia, his coach, where they addressed the rumors about them being in a homosexual relationship after Cerrone, an American mixed martial arts fighter, commented about their relationship, saying that Diego Sanchez has a “new lover” in Joshua Fabia.
He added that most of his friends that belonged to the LGBTQ community were not happy with what Cerrone had said.
Is Diego Sanchez Gay?
No, with all the rumors spreading about his sexuality, Diego confirmed that he is not gay at all. His relationship with Joshua Fabia is more like that of a brother, having him as his long-time coach in the industry. Speculations about his sexual preference will just remain as it is… a rumor.