Diego Sanchez split with his coach and manager Joshua Fabia last week and now Fabia has spoken out about the UFC Hall of Famer.
Sanchez worked with Fabia for two years but the relationship began to unravel after Sanchez was pulled from UFC Vegas 26 bout against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and abruptly released by the fight promotion.
Fabia, founder of the School of Self-Awareness, became a controversial figure for his unorthodox training methods and confrontational actions. He’s been at odds with the Nevada State Athletic Commission in the past for his “death choke” technique, he posted a video of a UFC production meeting where he accuses UFC broadcaster of being unfair to him and Sanchez, as well as videos chasing fighters with a blade in training and punching and kicking Sanchez as he was suspended upside down.
Now that Sanchez has parted ways with Fabia, Fabia wasted no time bashing his former client.
“Diego was definitely a celebrity,” Fabia said in an interview on “Behind the Scenes” with Summer Helene. “He had some celebrity asshole tendencies. He didn’t like tipping, and he did some weird stuff in front of me that you know, threw up some red flags. But over time, just talking to him, it kind of just seemed, like I said, the celebrity stuff.”
“Things like, you get a divorce and you have a child, but you get a one-bedroom condo. Things just didn’t make sense to me, but I’m thinking, ‘OK, he’s got his own plans. He knows what he’s gonna do. Maybe it’s just super temporary, like I don’t know.’ And I’m wondering why he’s driving around in a $3,000 Mercedes?’ Just questions that throw up flags, but I’m thinking, ‘He’s telling me he’s frugal. He’s saving his money. OK.’
Fabia launched several accusations against Sanchez including attacks on Sanchez’ intelligence and accused the inaugural winner of The Ultimate Fighter of being an addict.
“From everything on the outside, as a trainer that’s seeing somebody three days a week – I mean, I moved him into the condo. I helped him in the divorce and this little moment and everything seemed pretty much the same as anybody else under these circumstances, to a certain degree.”
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“As I get to more information, as I’m with the lawyer and the lawyer talks to Diego and asks Diego about his education, and he starts talking about he was in special education,” Fabia said. “Holy sh*t. Huge red flags, man. This is not, at all, what anyone who perceived, and Diego is not anywhere near what anybody knows, man.
“And Diego has been an addict. He hasn’t told anybody for the past five months, I was his sponsor living with him, that I had to live there because he was broke and lost all his money and strung out on Kratom and alcohol and 30 other substances, that he has sexual abuse issues. No, he didn’t say any of that, man, and I’ve been holding up all this. I’ve been doing everything, and everybody’s coming at me.”
Fabia has been the subject of ridicule by former Sanchez training partners, UFC president Dana White, and most people in the MMA industry. Now he claims that Sanchez was taking advantage of him and that he has proof to support his allegations.
“I’ll put it out there, I’ll put out all the proof, I’ll put out all the videos, man,” Fabia said. “Diego has clearly been taking advantage of me for two years, as I have been fighting for him and putting myself on the line for him with zero benefit. I am the one getting death threats here.”
Joshua Fabia claims to be the victim: ‘Diego Sanchez has clearly been taking advantage of me’
