UFC legend Diego Sanchez’s legal troubles have taken a fresh turn. Last month, police arrested the former UFC fighter on a DUI offense that resulted in a violation of his ongoing probation. As a result, the judge handed him a prison sentence on Wednesday.
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According to the outlet KOB 4, Judge Stan Whitaker sentenced the former UFC fighter to 30 days of prison time at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center and a mandatory drug and alcohol rehab program.
“If you’re not going to take advantage of those opportunities, maybe DoC is the call… Let you do your time, parole, instead of multiple cases – but I don’t think it’s warranted yet, Mr. Sanchez,” the judge said. “I think a sanction is in store with reinstatement, which is what I’m going to do because it’s a first offense.”
Diego Sanchez’s prison sentence comes right after his arrest last month. On September 7th, the police arrested the former UFC fighter in Socorro, New Mexico, at 5:17 p.m. local time on two charges: aggravated driving under the influence and probation violation.
In March 2026, the court ordered a five-year supervised probation for Diego Sanchez for firing a gun in New Mexico in July last year. His arrest in September for DUI violated that agreement that ultimately led him to face prison time.
As the judge pointed out, this is the first time Sanchez has committed an offense during his probation period, which kept his punishment minimal. Plus, the outlet indicates the UFC Hall of Famer is scheduled for hip surgery, which he cannot undergo until he finishes the sentence.
However, Sanchez ended up receiving a stern warning from the judge that any further violation might result in a much harsher punishment.
“If we come back here again on picking up new stuff, I’m sure the state will jumping from the highest ladder, mountaintop, and putting you in custody,” the Judge added. “I don’t want that, but if you can’t take advantage of the programs, I will have no other choice.”
For now, at least, Diego Sanchez escaped a lengthy sentence. But any future violation could rain down a world of trouble for him. The New Mexico-based fighter’s legal ordeal will likely linger for a long time, which is a sad sight because of his track record in the UFC.
Diego Sanchez etched his name in UFC history by becoming the fighter to win The Ultimate Fighter’s inaugural season middleweight tournament, defeating Kenny Florian via first-round TKO in 2005. But following the tournament, Sanchez immediately came down to welterweight.
After a decent winning streak and a few setbacks in between, Sanchez decided to move to 155 pounds. At lightweight, he beat Clay Guida in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale and produced an instant classic. His split decision victory over Guida ultimately earned him a title shot against BJ Penn at UFC 107, but Sanchez lost the bout by fifth-round doctor stoppage.
Even though he failed to win the belt, Sanchez achieved a milestone when the UFC inducted his fight against Clay Guida into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 Fight Wing.
Diego Sanchez’s UFC career came to an end in 2020 after he lost to Jake Matthews at UFC 253.
But despite such an illustrious career, his controversial firearm incident invited legal trouble, which he claimed was a “joke.”
Ex-UFC fighter Diego Sanchez insisted the firearm incident was a “joke”
Last year, Diego Sanchez grabbed unwanted spotlight after firing a gun into the air on a New Mexico highway. The police disclosed that the UFC fighter was riding as a passenger when he suddenly climbed out of the window and discharged the gun. Sanchez was immediately arrested, but there were still some unclear details on what prompted him to create such chaos.
The 44-year-old turned up to court in March 2026, where he admitted that he did not cause harm to anybody with his actions and that the firing was meant to be a joke, and revealed he was taking medication for a bipolar diagnosis.
“People do make mistakes, you know,” Sanchez said. “This is Albuquerque, the wild wild west; I made a bad mistake.”
Despite Sanchez trying to convince the court that his actions were not intended to harm anyone, the prosecutors argued that shooting in a crowded place would have brought serious consequences and someone could have been badly hurt.
“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.”
The court initially granted Sanchez some freedom through five years of supervised probation. But the ex-UFC fighter’s latest violation seriously damaged that arrangement. Though he will be out of prison in 30 days, the authorities will keep a closer eye on him.