Scott Coker confirms Bellator will not sign free agent Diego Sanchez

Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed that his promotion does not have any interest in signing free agent UFC veteran Diego Sanchez.

Sanchez was released by the UFC last week following a disagreement over the release of medical information. UFC president Dana White let him go and he is now a free agent. While Speaking to Mick Heck ahead of Bellator 258, Coker was asked if Bellator has any interest in signing “The Nightmare,” which the organization’s leader said no to.

Scott Coker just told me that Bellator will not be looking to add Diego Sanchez to the roster now that he is a free agent.

— Mike Heck (@MikeHeck_JR) May 6, 2021

Scott Coker just told me that Bellator will not be looking to add Diego Sanchez to the roster now that he is a free agent.

It’s worth noting that Coker initially said no to Bellator signing former UFC middleweight Yoel Romero, only to turn around and ink him to a deal after reconsidering it. It’s possible that Coker could also reconsider signing Sanchez down the road, but right now there appears to be too much baggage attached to the former TUF winner. It’s not necessarily Sanchez himself that is keeping these organizations away, but rather his coach Joshua Fabia — who is not very well-liked in the MMA community — who is the issue here.

Still, even if Bellator isn’t interested in Sanchez, it’s likely that there is some organization out there that would take a shot on the legend. Even though Sanchez is not as good as he once was as a young fighter, he is still a big name in the sport. It’s possible an organization such as Bare Knuckle FC could be a fit for Sanchez at this point of his career as other UFC veterans have signed there once their MMA careers fizzled out. Either way, Sanchez is a free agent now, but if we are to believe Coker, he won’t be a Bellator fighter anytime soon.

Where do you think Diego Sanchez will wind up next in his MMA career?