MIAMI, Fla. – Diego Sanchez is relishing the underdog role ahead of his Eagle FC debut.
Sanchez (30-13) meets fellow former UFC fighter Kevin Lee (18-7) in Friday’s Eagle FC 46 super lightweight headliner at the FLXcast Arena.
Sanchez, the 40-year-old Season 1 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” knows he’s facing a stern test in Lee but is more than up for the task.
“I feel great, and the motivation is the challenge,” Sanchez said at the Eagle FC 46 news conference. “That’s why I got into this fighting thing. It’s a challenge. The mental fortitude that you need to go forward in this sport is huge, and the opponent I got in front of me is huge. He’s 29 years old; I’m 40. I’m the underdog. That’s a huge challenge in my eyes, and I’m here to make a statement and show my skillset and just go out there and show the world that, yeah, I am Diego Sanchez, and I am a legend.”
Sanchez, who competed in four different weight classes throughout his UFC tenure, will debut in the promotion’s newly minted 165-pound division, and he aims to capture the inaugural title.
“I got one goal, is the Eagle FC super lightweight championship belt,” Sanchez said. “That’s it, and this man right here (Lee) is standing in front of me, and let’s do this. I’m ready.”
He continued, “I’m coming in here with all my heart, all my mind, all my spirit, all my soul, and I’m ready to die in there. So I’m coming with everything I’ve got, and that’s all there is to it. I’m coming in there, and I’m gonna give this entertainment to Eagle FC like it’s never been shown before. I’m gonna come in here, and I’m gonna be victorious, triumphant, victory.”
‘I am a legend’: Diego Sanchez relishes underdog role vs. Kevin Lee at Eagle FC 46
