Last year, Albuquerque police arrested former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez after he allegedly fired gunshots from a moving vehicle. According to reports, the ex-UFC star was in a Jeep Gladiator passing an accident scene when he allegedly fired the shots, prompting police to arrest him, though Sanchez later denied firing the weapon. A year after the incident, the court has now delivered its verdict.

According to a report by KOB 4, Sanchez pleaded guilty to the charges from last year. As a result, the court placed him on five years of supervised probation. This means the former UFC star will not face jail time, but if he violates the law again, authorities could put him behind bars.

“The defendant has shown reckless actions when he shot the firearm out of the car window,” state prosecutor Genia Gonzales said. “He has demonstrated negligence as noted in the PSR and the inability to safely and lawfully operate a firearm.”

Following the verdict, Sanchez also opened up about the incident and said he didn’t intend to harm anyone, claiming it was meant as a joke. Moreover, the former UFC fighter agreed to enter a recovery center to treat bipolar disorder and begin new medications.

“People do make mistakes, you know, this is Albuquerque, the wild wild west, I made a bad mistake,” Sanchez said. “All I can do is take accountability, own it, you know, and spread positivity to the youth and the next generation to change these ways. Not to be shooting out cows, shooting out windows like cowboys,” he added.

A veteran of the sport, Diego Sanchez fought in the UFC for over a decade. However, his release from the promotion turned into an ugly situation after his then-coach/manager Joshua Fabia couldn’t provide clear medical clearance for brain health ahead of the Donald Cerrone fight. As a result, Dana White and the promotion decided to release him.

The decision haunted the New Mexico native, who later blamed Fabia for everything. At the same time, Sanchez had also asked the UFC to cover neurological testing to determine whether he was dealing with any traumatic condition. 

Now, as the Albuquerque native remains under supervision, things could easily have spiraled further, especially considering that more than a decade ago, a similar incident involving another UFC fighter took a much worse turn.

Police arrested an ex-UFC fighter after road rage turned into a crime scene 

The Californian, Gerald Strebendt, fought only once in Dana White’s promotion, facing veteran Josh Thomson back in 2003, and the UFC later expected him to take on former welterweight champion Matt Serra. However, after several cancellations in the UFC and a brief stint in Cage Warriors, Strebendt stepped away from the sport. In 2014, though, he was back in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

According to reports, ‘The Finishing Machine’ was involved in a road rage incident where he allegedly crashed into another vehicle that a man named David Crofut was driving. Following the crash, the situation escalated into chaos when Strebendt allegedly shot the man with a rifle, killing him on the spot.

After the incident, police arrested him, but reports later revealed that he claimed to have acted in self-defense and had called 911 following the shooting. Strebendt’s legal troubles continued, as he later faced charges related to misconduct with minors at his Jiu-Jitsu classes and served jail time again.

While Sanchez now has a path forward under supervised probation, the contrast with cases like Gerald Strebendt’s serves as a stark reminder of how quickly situations like these can escalate beyond control.