Diego Sanchez Turns Up the Crazy at UFC Mexico Press Conference

Diego Sanchez is known primarily for two things: his wild, all-action fighting style inside the cage, and his often bizarre behaviour outside of it. The latest display of his out-of-cage antics occured at the official press conference for UFC Fight Night 98, which will go down in Mexico City, Mexico this Saturday night. On the evening’s main card, Sanchez will welcome former Bellator title challenger Marcin Held to the UFC’s Octagon.

When Sanchez and Held were squared up for the media, Sanchez resorted to the kind of crazed bravado that is generally reserved for a fight’s weigh-in ceremonies. Fists up and jaw clenched, The Ultimate Fighter 1 veteran got right in the face of his opponent and immediately the words began to fly.

“Let’s get it, homie,” Sanchez said as he grilled his opponent. “Let’s get it, dog. It’s a fight. You’re going down, you’re going down, you’re going down.” 

“Yeah, there it is,” Sanchez said when Held returned fire with a glare of his own. “There it is. That’s what’s up, that’s what I want! Give me some!” 

Safe to say that Sanchez is attempting to get into his debuting opponent’s heads in advance of their Saturday night showdown. Based on the press conference footage at the top of this post, however, it’s hard to say if he was successful in this effort.

Sanchez will enter this bout as the underdog, with a tough 2-3 record in his last 5 fights. In his most recent outing, he succumbed to a first round TKO dealt by Joe Lauzon. Prior to that, he took a competitive decision from fellow veteran Jim Miller.

Held, meanwhile, will enter the Octagon with a solid 22-4 overall record. The Bellator veteran was last seen in June when he defeated Dave Jansen by unanimous decision. Prior to that win, he gave up a decision to former Bellator champ and current UFC contender “Ill’ Will Brooks.

The UFC’s return to Mexico will be headlined by a lightweight contender bout between former champion Rafael Dos Anjos and the streaking Tony Ferguson. Other highlights of the card include a featherweight bout between Ricardo Lamas and Charles Oliveira, a lightweight showdown between Beneil Dariush and Rashid Magomedov, and the UFC debut of Invicta star Alexa Grasso.

Do you think Sanchez can spoil Held’s debut? Sound off, PENN Nation!