Mike Perry defends Diego Sanchez’s ‘smart’ decision to take the win at UFC Rio Rancho

Mike Perry has defended Diego Sanchez’s decision to accept a disqualification victory over Michel Pereira at UFC Rio Rancho this past weekend.

The bout between Sanchez and Pereira, which served as the co-main event of the evening in New Mexico, seemed to be trending in one direction and one direction only: a unanimous decision win for Pereira.

Alas, the whole fight turned on its head when Pereira hit Sanchez with an illegal knee when he was judged to be a grounded opponent. After a consultation with the doctor and the referee, Sanchez decided he was no longer able to continue fighting and instead took a disqualification win to add to his record.

Many fighters and media members alike criticized the decision, but the aforementioned Perry didn’t fall into that category.

Take that dub @DiegoSanchezUFC hell yeah ! That’s smart !

— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) February 16, 2020

“Take that dub @DiegoSanchezUFC hell yeah ! That’s smart !” – Mike Perry on Twitter. 

The decision made by Sanchez came in the third and final round, leading many to believe that he chose to avoid taking another two minutes worth of damage before the fight came to an end. 

This has been viewed as a particularly surprising point of view for someone like Perry who was able to avoid being stopped back at UFC Uruguay last year despite having his nose shattered by Vicente Luque.

This is certainly a topic that has split the mixed martial arts community, but if nothing else, Sanchez was able to secure a higher payout for the fight and will now also be on the tip of everyone’s tongue heading into his next bout, which is perhaps why Perry is a supporter of his decision. 

Some think he will not continue to fight for the UFC, but given the sort of bizarre momentum that he’s been able to build up as a result of this controversy, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see them book him again at some point over the course of the next few months.

Are you with Mike Perry on this one? 

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/17/2020.