Diego Sanchez has received his penalty following an arrest on multiple gun charges.
On Thursday, the UFC Hall of Famer was sentenced to five years of supervised probation by an Albuquerque judge, according to local news outlet KOB 4 — who was in the courtroom during sentencing.
In February, Sanchez pled guilty to a charge of shooting at or from a motor vehicle with no great bodily harm, which is classified as a fourth-degree felony stemming from an arrest this past July. allegedly leaned out of a car
window where he was the passenger and fired a shot into the air while passing by a crash. Police followed the vehicle where Sanchez was arrested, although he denied firing the shot but did tell the officer that there was a gun in the vehicle.
Sanchez was also initially hit with a second charge for negligent use of a deadly weapon but that was dismissed as part of his plea agreement.
According to the report, prosecutors pushed for a two-year prison sentence because of Sanchez’s “reckless actions when he shot the firearm out of the car window.” Sanchez admitted he made a mistake, and shared he’s been in treatment and on new medications to help with a bipolar diagnosis.
Following the ruling, Sanchez commented on the situation outside of the courtroom — which was captured by KOP 4.
“All I can do is take accountability, own it, and spread positivity for the youth of the next generation to change these ways, man,” Sanchez told reporters. “Not to be shooting out windows like cowboys.”
Sanchez competed 32 times inside the octagon, winning 19 bouts and fighting for a UFC title. Sanchez’s June 2009 fight with Clay Guida at the TUF 9 Finale was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2009.
After parting ways with the UFC following a 2020 loss to Jake Matthews, Sanchez went 0-2 in losses to Kevin Lee for Eagle FC in March 2022, and Austin Trout at BKFC KnuckleMania 3 in February 2023.
