Diego Sanchez Has Withdrawn From Upcoming Clash With Donald Cerrone

Diego Sanchez is nearing the end of his career as a mixed martial artist. His upcoming clash with Donald Cerrone was expected by many to be his swan song. Unfortunately, reports have confirmed that Diego Sanchez has withdrawn from this bout for undisclosed reasons.

It’s a tough break for fans eager to see the rivalry between these men come to an end. There was some real bad blood leading into this big matchup. Today, we’ll talk about what this means for both fighters moving forward.

Let’s get into it!

Looking Back at Diego Sanchez’s Storied Career

There are still a huge number of veteran fighters in the UFC. Almost none of them have been around as long as Diego Sanchez. The 39-year-old burst onto the scene on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and won the show’s middleweight tournament.

Sanchez quickly racked up six-straight fights with the promotion. That includes wins over fighters such as Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs. Finally, in 2017, he suffered the first loss of his professional career against Josh Koscheck.

In 2009, Diego moved into the lightweight division and eventually earned a title shot against BJ Penn. Sanchez entered the bout as a massive underdog according to all online sports betting sites. He lost that fight and decided to move back to the welterweight division. After alternating wins and losses throughout his career, including one of the best fights of all-time against Gilbert Melendez, he decided to move down to the featherweight division.

This only lasted for so long. In recent years, Sanchez moved back to welterweight and has been training with the controversial Josh Fabia. Many feel that Sanchez now has one foot out of the door. He has been telling the media that he will only have one more fight in the UFC before retirement.

The UFC eventually scheduled Sanchez to take on fellow New Mexico-trained fighter, Donald Cerrone. It was an exciting matchup between former training partners. There was some real heat between these men and fans were looking forward to seeing how the fight would play out.

It now seems that fans will need to wait a little longer to see “The Nightmare’s” final fight. Here’s what we know about this situation.

Sources Confirm Diego Sanchez has Withdrawn from May 8 Bout

Diego Sanchez was one of the original men to train at the famed Jackson/Wink training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He became a superstar early in the UFC. Many felt he would eventually go on to win a world championship.

Donald Cerrone was another early member of this New Mexico-based team. For many years, these two fighters were training partners and helped each other move up the UFC’s rankings. Both have since split from the gym and a serious rift has developed between them.

The UFC matched these two fighters to compete on May 8 in Las Vegas. Heading into the fight, Donald Cerrone expressed real disdain for his opponent. He continued to tell the media that he wanted to hurt Sanchez for his actions in the past.

“The things he says right now leading into the fight I don’t care about because they’re just him hyping himself,” Cerrone said. “It’s the things he said when I left Jackson’s, those are the things that piss me off. Like, he went to these restaurants and these places we had pictures signed and he ripped em all off and videoed it and made a big deal. So yeah, he did a bunch of under the belt things, said a bunch of bulls*** so it’s like, alright motherf***er, now you’ve got to eat your words. I’ll see you May 8 and I’ll beat the f*** out of you.”

This is somewhat uncharacteristic of Cerrone, who tends to be amicable with all of his opponents. Unfortunately, reports have confirmed that Diego Sanchez has withdrawn from his upcoming matchup on May 8 for undisclosed reasons.

It’s a tough blow for fans and officials with the UFC. The promotion is now looking ahead at possible opponents for Cerrone.

Is Holland vs. Cerrone the Fight to Make Right Now?

Donald Cerrone is known for his willingness to fight anyone, anywhere. He’s been fighting in the UFC for many years and has come close to winning the world title on several occasions. Like Diego, he too seems to be entering the twilight of his fighting career.

No man is as disappointed to hear that Diego Sanchez has withdrawn from his fight on May 8 as Donald Cerrone. Fortunately, it seems likely that “Cowboy” will want to remain on the card. Many are now asking who he will face off against.

Kevin Holland seems like a possible option. Holland is coming off two-straight losses in the middleweight division and has been hinting at a move to 170 pounds lately. He went on social media and offered his services to compete against Donald Cerrone on May 8.

Of course, it seems unlikely that Kevin will be able to make 170 pounds on short notice. He claims he could likely hit somewhere at 175 pounds. The UFC has yet to make any announcements on this situation.

Hope is that Sanchez will be rebooked into a big fight soon. There is a chance the UFC simply decides to push the fight against Cerrone back by a few months. We’ll be sure to offer updates as the weeks go on.

Are you disappointed to see the Sanchez vs. Cerrone fight fall apart? Should Donald accept a fight with Kevin Holland? Let us know in the comments section below.