Mixed martial arts is a sport unlike any other. Its unpredictability, excitement and mind-blowing feats of heart and athleticism have been captivating audiences for years. Fans also seemed to have developed a fascination with the cast of characters in the sport. From athletes, to coaches, to managers, to promoters, the MMA world is full of personality. Some fans tune in to hear Conor McGregors brash and confident predictions of how he will knock out his next opponent, others can’t help but watch the trainwrecks; such as “Platinum” Mike Perry speaking about his issues with the IRS and electing to replace his coaches with his girlfriend who had little to no combat experience.
However, one “trainwreck” seems to stand out above the rest. Long time fan favorite and UFC hall of famer Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez has spent most of his career training under and representing the Jackson-Wink fight team. Head coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn have developed a reputation for producing top-tier talent such as Jon Jones, Holly Holm, Rashad Evans and many other stars of the sport. After expressing that Jackson’s wasn’t giving Diego the training that he felt he needed, he decided to part ways with his old team and begin training solely under head coach Joshua Fabia. Fabia, founder of the “School of Self Awareness” has demonstrated some unorthodox and concerning training practices. As a self proclaimed “healer and guide”, the MMA community quickly became suspicious of his legitimacy. When asked about his credentials, Fabia goes off on defensively-toned tangents that struggle to shed light on any legitimate martial arts knowledge. His website claims that he has “extensive specialized experience in defense, protection, human rights, and physical therapy. He holds certifications in martial arts, personal training, several military fields, stretch training, breathing and more.” There is no available evidence for any of these claims.
Although already in the twilight of his career, Sanchez has gone 1-1 during his time with Fabia, the one victory coming by way of disqualification due to his opponent throwing an illegal strike. On his Sirius XM radio show, MMA analyst Luke Thomas questioned Fabia about what qualifies him to corner a top-level fighter. Fabia replied, “I didn’t know there was a necessary qualification.” He went on to explain, “It’s out there on video, you can go see me moving with real people. This is what I mean, there’s no papers to justify real.”
If one were to look up videos of Fabia, they won’t find anything to legitimize his position. Seemingly, the only training footage available consists of him chasing fighters around a cage with a knife and another video of him swinging a heavy bag and walking/spinning in circles around it. Another video surfaced of him confronting fromer UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra about “disrespecting” him. When Fabia expressed that he was upset that Serra hadn’t acknowledged his name nor his contributions towards Diego’s skillset, Serra replied “Like I told you earlier, I don’t even know your name,” Serra responded. “What’s your name again? Joshua, OK, good. From the ‘School of Something or Another.’ I understand you. Listen, you know why [I’m talking like this]? Because my friends and I are having breakfast and you try to come over here and make some kind of grandstand.”
When Fabia continued to probe, looking to gain some acknowledgement of respect from the hall of famer, Serra continued, “This is not going to get any better. Do your thing. Good luck with you. I hope you make some money off of Diego. Do what you gotta do and that’s it, bro. OK? [You’re] not my type of guy. Do your thing.”
Unfortunately, the blunderous confrontation with Serra was not the end of Fabia’s limelight in the media. Recently a video began making rounds of him arguing with UFC staff during a broadcast meeting. The meeting was for Diego, yet Fabia couldn’t stop circling the conversation back to himself. He obsessively lectured the UFC team about how the fans have been disrespectful towards him, and how the broadcast team had unjustly led viewers to form that opinion.
It’s become pretty clear to most outsiders that Fabia has an unhealthy amount of influence on Diego. Those who have been watching Diego for years have become concerned with his mental and physical health; with many believing that he has been brainwashed by this wanna-be guru. Although Diego was scheduled for a May 8th bout against fellow UFC veteran Donald “Cowboy “ Cerrone, news broke yesterday that he was cut by the UFC after a dispute over medical clearance. Although Sanchez was medically cleared to fight, Fabia had reached out to the UFC asking for all of Sanchez’s medical records since 2004. This prompted the company to reach out to Sanchez to confirm that he was not suffering from any medical conditions. Sanchez refused to confirm his health status as he claimed he was “not a neurologist”. When asked about Diego’s departure from the company, UFC President Dana White said the following, “I have an incredible, amazing relationship with Diego, and I like him very much, and I hope he is OK,” White said. “One of the sad things that happens, not just in fighting but in sports, and I want you to quote me on this, are these creepy weirdos who come from God knows where and leech onto fighters or athletes. They never do any good for them. Somehow, this creep got into Diego’s life and has been controlling him. You saw the video of him chasing guys in the octagon with a knife. How f*cking nuts is that? He goes to the commission and tells them that he’s taught Diego this death touch. It goes on and on with this guy. He goes into the (fighter-broadcaster) production meeting and tells the commentators what they should be saying? The guy is batsh*t nuts. He worked his way into Diego’s life and has gotten control over him. I just want the best for Diego.”
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About the Author:
Oliver Swanson is an avid martial arts practitioner, training in boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As a long-time fan of the sport, he loves to cover current events happening in the mixed martial arts world.
