Former UFC fighter and the inaugural winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Diego Sanchez, has received a five-year supervised probation sentence from an Albuquerque judge. The decision was announced on Thursday, stemming from an incident in July 2025 where Sanchez discharged a firearm into the air from his vehicle while in traffic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sanchez pleaded guilty in February to a felony charge related to the event. His arrest occurred near the intersection of I-40 and University, where prosecutors alleged he fired the weapon as he passed the scene of a separate traffic collision.
During the court proceedings, Sanchez acknowledged his misstep, stating, “People do make mistakes, you know, this is Albuquerque, the wild wild west, I made a bad mistake.” Prosecutors had initially sought a two-year prison sentence for the former mixed martial artist. The maximum penalty for this type of crime could have been up to six and a half years.
Sanchez expressed remorse and his commitment to accountability. He remarked, “All I can do is take accountability, own it, you know, and spread positivity to the youth and the next generation to change these ways. Not to be shooting out cows– shooting out windows like cowboys.”
