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Diego Sanchez "Nightmare"

Inactive · age 44 · Southpaw · 5'10" 178 cm · 170 lb 77 kg · reach 72" 183 cm
At a glance
  • Earned a bonus in 2 of last 5 fights
  • UFC veteran since 2005
Elo rating
1528
Global Elo 1573 ±35
Rank
UFC record
18-13-0
KO 6 · Sub 0 · Dec 12
Streak
-2
Δ90d -4 · Δ1y -4
Last fight
Sep 26, 2020
Loss by Decision · R3
Career at a glance
Octagon time
6h 24m
Avg fight time
12:23
Title fights
1-1
Bonuses
10
Fights per year
2.0
Ground control
1h 39m
Since last fight
5y 9mo

Honest Elo history

31 fights · tap & drag
Apr 9, 2005 — W vs Kenny Florian Δ+41Aug 20, 2005 — W vs Brian Gassaway Δ+29Nov 5, 2005 — W vs Nick Diaz Δ+30May 27, 2006 — W vs John Alessio Δ+19Aug 17, 2006 — W vs Karo Parisyan Δ+28Dec 13, 2006 — W vs Joe Riggs Δ+13Apr 7, 2007 — L vs Josh Koscheck Δ-18Sep 22, 2007 — L vs Jon Fitch Δ-15Mar 1, 2008 — W vs David Bielkheden Δ+12Jun 21, 2008 — W vs Luigi Fioravanti Δ+12Feb 21, 2009 — W vs Joe Stevenson Δ+13Jun 20, 2009 — W vs Clay Guida Δ+11Dec 12, 2009 — L vs BJ Penn Δ-21May 29, 2010 — L vs John Hathaway Δ-19Oct 23, 2010 — W vs Paulo Thiago Δ+13Mar 3, 2011 — W vs Martin Kampmann Δ+13Feb 15, 2012 — L vs Jake Ellenberger Δ-18Mar 2, 2013 — W vs Takanori Gomi Δ+11Oct 19, 2013 — L vs Gilbert Melendez Δ-23Mar 15, 2014 — L vs Myles Jury Δ-17Jun 7, 2014 — W vs Ross Pearson Δ+15Nov 21, 2015 — L vs Ricardo Lamas Δ-17Mar 5, 2016 — W vs Jim Miller Δ+17Jul 9, 2016 — L vs Joe Lauzon Δ-21Nov 5, 2016 — W vs Marcin Held Δ+11Apr 22, 2017 — L vs Al Iaquinta Δ-20Nov 11, 2017 — L vs Matt Brown Δ-19Sep 8, 2018 — W vs Craig White Δ+12Mar 2, 2019 — W vs Mickey Gall Δ+18Jul 6, 2019 — L vs Michael Chiesa Δ-16Sep 26, 2020 — L vs Jake Matthews Δ-16 14501500155016001650 20082011201420172020 [{"i":0,"x":90,"y":341.7,"elo":1493,"date":"2005-04-09","opp":"Kenny Florian","result":"W","delta":41},{"i":1,"x":107,"y":295,"elo":1522,"date":"2005-08-20","opp":"Brian Gassaway","result":"W","delta":29},{"i":2,"x":116.8,"y":246.3,"elo":1552,"date":"2005-11-05","opp":"Nick Diaz","result":"W","delta":30},{"i":3,"x":142.6,"y":216.4,"elo":1571,"date":"2006-05-27","opp":"John Alessio","result":"W","delta":19},{"i":4,"x":153.1,"y":172.2,"elo":1599,"date":"2006-08-17","opp":"Karo Parisyan","result":"W","delta":28},{"i":5,"x":168.1,"y":151.3,"elo":1612,"date":"2006-12-13","opp":"Joe Riggs","result":"W","delta":13},{"i":6,"x":182.8,"y":181,"elo":1593,"date":"2007-04-07","opp":"Josh Koscheck","result":"L","delta":-18},{"i":7,"x":204.2,"y":205.5,"elo":1578,"date":"2007-09-22","opp":"Jon Fitch","result":"L","delta":-15},{"i":8,"x":224.7,"y":186.5,"elo":1590,"date":"2008-03-01","opp":"David Bielkheden","result":"W","delta":12},{"i":9,"x":239,"y":168.1,"elo":1601,"date":"2008-06-21","opp":"Luigi Fioravanti","result":"W","delta":12},{"i":10,"x":270.2,"y":147,"elo":1614,"date":"2009-02-21","opp":"Joe Stevenson","result":"W","delta":13},{"i":11,"x":285.4,"y":129.8,"elo":1625,"date":"2009-06-20","opp":"Clay Guida","result":"W","delta":11},{"i":12,"x":307.7,"y":163.4,"elo":1604,"date":"2009-12-12","opp":"BJ Penn","result":"L","delta":-21},{"i":13,"x":329.1,"y":194.2,"elo":1585,"date":"2010-05-29","opp":"John Hathaway","result":"L","delta":-19},{"i":14,"x":347.8,"y":173.4,"elo":1598,"date":"2010-10-23","opp":"Paulo Thiago","result":"W","delta":13},{"i":15,"x":364.5,"y":152.1,"elo":1611,"date":"2011-03-03","opp":"Martin Kampmann","result":"W","delta":13},{"i":16,"x":409,"y":181,"elo":1593,"date":"2012-02-15","opp":"Jake Ellenberger","result":"L","delta":-18},{"i":17,"x":457.6,"y":164.1,"elo":1604,"date":"2013-03-02","opp":"Takanori Gomi","result":"W","delta":11},{"i":18,"x":487,"y":201.2,"elo":1581,"date":"2013-10-19","opp":"Gilbert Melendez","result":"L","delta":-23},{"i":19,"x":505.8,"y":227.8,"elo":1564,"date":"2014-03-15","opp":"Myles Jury","result":"L","delta":-17},{"i":20,"x":516.5,"y":203.6,"elo":1579,"date":"2014-06-07","opp":"Ross Pearson","result":"W","delta":15},{"i":21,"x":584.3,"y":231,"elo":1562,"date":"2015-11-21","opp":"Ricardo Lamas","result":"L","delta":-17},{"i":22,"x":597.7,"y":204.4,"elo":1579,"date":"2016-03-05","opp":"Jim Miller","result":"W","delta":17},{"i":23,"x":613.7,"y":238,"elo":1558,"date":"2016-07-09","opp":"Joe Lauzon","result":"L","delta":-21},{"i":24,"x":628.9,"y":219.9,"elo":1569,"date":"2016-11-05","opp":"Marcin Held","result":"W","delta":11},{"i":25,"x":650.3,"y":251.9,"elo":1549,"date":"2017-04-22","opp":"Al Iaquinta","result":"L","delta":-20},{"i":26,"x":676.2,"y":283,"elo":1529,"date":"2017-11-11","opp":"Matt Brown","result":"L","delta":-19},{"i":27,"x":714.5,"y":264.6,"elo":1541,"date":"2018-09-08","opp":"Craig White","result":"W","delta":12},{"i":28,"x":736.8,"y":235.3,"elo":1559,"date":"2019-03-02","opp":"Mickey Gall","result":"W","delta":18},{"i":29,"x":752.9,"y":260.7,"elo":1543,"date":"2019-07-06","opp":"Michael Chiesa","result":"L","delta":-16},{"i":30,"x":810,"y":285.7,"elo":1528,"date":"2020-09-26","opp":"Jake Matthews","result":"L","delta":-16}]

Last fights

Elo-based expectation · not betting advice
Date Opponent Result Δ Elo
Sep 26, 2020 Jake Matthews L -16
Jul 6, 2019 Michael Chiesa L -16
Mar 2, 2019 Mickey Gall W +18
Sep 8, 2018 Craig White W +12
Nov 11, 2017 Matt Brown L -19

Performance

SLpM Significant Strikes Landed per Minute. Higher = busier striker.
Strikes Landed
L1L3L5
Str Acc Striking accuracy: significant strikes landed / attempted. Higher = more efficient striker.
Strike Accuracy
L1L3L5
SApM Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute. How often opponents land on this fighter. Lower is better.
Strikes Absorbed
L1L3L5
Str Def Share of opponent’s significant strike attempts that miss or are blocked. Higher is better.
Striking Defense
L1L3L5
TD / 15 min Takedowns landed per 15 minutes (one full 3-round fight). Measures wrestling output.
Takedowns
L1L3L5
TD Acc Takedowns landed / attempted. Higher = cleaner entries.
Takedown Accuracy
L1L3L5
TD Def Share of opponent takedown attempts stuffed. Higher = harder to put on the mat.
Takedown Defense
L1L3L5
Sub / 15 min Submission attempts per 15 minutes. Counts attempts, not just finishes — a proxy for grappling aggression.
Submission Attempts
L1L3L5
Ctrl / 15 min Control time in seconds per 15 minutes. Time in dominant grappling positions. 240 = 4 min, the realistic high-end across divisions.
Control Time (sec)
L1L3L5
KD / 15 min Knockdowns landed per 15 minutes. Counts every flash KD even if the fight continued — measures stopping power across all rounds, not just finishes.
Knockdowns
L1L3L5
Above division avg (intensity ∝ how far)
Near avg (±10%)
Below division avg

Finishes

How wins come Finish rate = (KO + Submission wins) / total UFC wins. Measures how often this fighter closes the show before the scorecards.
33%
6 / 18
Finish rate
KO
6
33% of wins
SUB
0
0% of wins
DEC
12
67% of wins
KO: 6 (33%) 6 Sub: 0 (0%) Dec: 12 (67%) 12
Finishes by round
6 total
R1
3 50%
R2
2 33%
R3
1 17%
R4
R5

Striking profile

Where significant strikes land — by target zone and by position. 1033 landed total · career

Targets head · body · leg
70% Head
  • Head 70%
  • Body 23%
  • Leg 7%
Positions distance · clinch · ground
57% Distance
  • Distance 57%
  • Clinch 11%
  • Ground 32%

Durability

How they're beaten How fights end AGAINST this fighter. Finished-against rate = (times KO'd + submitted) / total UFC losses. A low rate means they rarely get stopped.
31%
of losses by finish
4 of 13 · usually R1
4 KO/TKO 0 Sub 9 Dec Never submitted

Strength of schedule in UFC

Avg opp Elo (last 5) Average Elo rating of the last 5 opponents this fighter faced. A proxy for schedule difficulty — 1700+ is elite-level competition, 1500 is a UFC average opponent.
1571
UFC level
Quality wins (1600+) Wins over opponents rated 1600+ Elo at the time of the fight — clearly above the ~1500 UFC average, contender tier. A count of genuine quality results, not record-padding.
2
of 18 UFC wins
Toughest win The highest-rated opponent this fighter has a win over, by that opponent's Elo at fight time.
Jim Miller
Elo 1624 at fight time
Expected wins How many wins an average fighter would be expected to have against this exact schedule, based on pre-fight Elo win probabilities. The line below shows whether this fighter is over- or under-performing their matchups.
17.8
+0.2 wins above what this schedule implies
Opponent Elo over career · 31 UFC fights, oldest → newest
1500
1602

Top welterweight

See full rankings →
Source Raw fight data and per-bout statistics come from Diego Sanchez on UFCStats →. Elo rating, uncertainty bands, and division-relative analytics computed by HonestElo — not affiliated with or endorsed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.