A recently released video provides a disturbing look into the relationship between former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez and his controversial coach Joshua Fabia. The footage depicts Fabia demanding that Sanchez pay him $100,000, essentially as a severance fee for ending their business partnership.
In the video, Fabia can be heard saying to Sanchez, “You want your freedom. You can have it. You’re gonna write a check to me and [my] school itself for $100,000.” Fabia justifies this by claiming that Sanchez had “robbed me of everything” and failed to properly compensate him for his coaching services.
Fabia also appears to leverage Sanchez’s relationships against him, stating “If your mother doesn’t realize we were your family, you didn’t tell her that? F*** you, dude. I’m getting s*** from every corner.” This seems to be a threat that if Sanchez doesn’t pay the $100,000, Fabia will escalate the conflict to involve Sanchez’s own mother.
The video provides yet another data point reinforcing allegations that Fabia exerted an unhealthy level of control and undue influence over Sanchez during their time working together. It depicts Fabia making financial demands in an aggressive and manipulative manner.
Diego Sanchez has claimed that he was effectively brainwashed by Fabia, who pushed him into confrontations with the UFC that ultimately led to Sanchez’s release from the promotion just before a planned retirement fight. Sanchez has also alleged that Fabia was abusive towards him physically and psychologically.
Sanchez’s ex wife who shares a daughter with him inked a touching social media post:
“This was a very difficult video for me to get through. Diego has confided in me over the years about the torment he had experienced with Fabia. I want to thank you both for exposing it. This is infuriating for me to once again visually see how he took advantage of Diego’s vulnerabilities.
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My position here is to make it known that Diego is one of the best fathers I know. I won’t allow anyone to discredit Diego as a father. I will not allow this guy to try & take that away from Diego. Diego has not missed a beat as a father since the day our daughter was born. Our daughter is his whole world and he would do anything for her and to protect her. Do we have challenges co-parenting, yes but one thing he is NOT is neglectful! He is completely the opposite!… always looking out for her and always protecting her. He stops the world for our baby girl. I want to make that known as Deijah’s mother.
This is one of the last pictures we took as a family & as you can see… there were very few pics we took where our daughter didn’t have her arms completely wrapped around her daddy.”
While the recently released footage was apparently meant to portray Sanchez in a negative light, for many observers it only further substantiates the narrative that Fabia took advantage of Sanchez during a vulnerable period in the fighter’s life and career. The UFC has since issued a legal complaint against Fabia, citing allegations of harassment and exploiting fighters for personal enrichment.