UFC veteran Diego Sanchez is back in the headlines — for all the wrong reasons.
The original “Ultimate Fighter” was arrested and jailed on felony gun charges earlier today (July 18, 2025) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after allegedly firing shots into the air from a moving vehicle. “The Nightmare” is accused of felony shooting at or from a motor vehicle (no great bodily harm) and misdemeanor negligent use of a deadly weapon (discharge).
MMA Fighting first reported the arrest on Friday.
Sanchez, 43, has not competed in MMA since losing a unanimous decision to fellow UFC veteran Kevin Lee under the Eagle FC banner back in early 2022. He later resurfaced for a bareknuckle boxing match against well-traveled pugilist Austin Trout the following year, only to get stopped in the fourth round.
Reps for Sanchez attributed his most recent incident to substance abuse issues, according to the report.
Sanchez (30-14) was released by UFC after his “sad” decline with “creepy weirdo,” Joshua Fabia. “The Nightmare” claims he was being controlled by his former guru, to the point where murder felt like the only way out.
Fortunately for Sanchez, a $100,000 payoff was the lesser of two evils.
The driver of the vehicle told police that Sanchez — who denied the shooting — was responsible for firing the weapon as they drove past a nearby highway crash. Sanchez reportedly laughed at authorities while being questioned and remains in custody at Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.
Expect more details on this still-developing story in the coming days.