Diego Sanchez vows to fight smarter after concerns about brain injury

Fighters don’t win fight of the night bonuses without having been in a few wars. And in those wars, chances are that they’ve had more punches bounce off of their skull than they would have liked.

Diego Sanchez has been with the UFC for over a decade and has collected seven bonuses for having the fight of the night, which is a UFC high. His penchant for being involved in exciting fights is the reason why Sanchez has been paired with Joe Lauzon at UFC 200. For a card so stacked with talent, a fight with a high probability of excitement is exactly what’s needed just in case the bigger names on the card don’t deliver.

Over the years, Sanchez has absorbed his fair share of damage courtesy of his caution-to-the-wind style of fighting. Yes, it has yielded some extra money for his pockets, but it also had the well-traveled 34-year-old concerned for his mental health.

It’s the reason why Sanchez decided to visit the Cerebrum Health Center in Dallas before his fight in March against Jim Miller and find out if there’s extensive damage that could impair his motor functions and memory.

“I went to get checked out because I had been hit in the head several times in my career,” Sanchez said to Yahoo Sports. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt to get my brain checked out and make sure nothing is going wrong there.”

He described the experience as “nerve-racking” but was happy to find that he would still be able to fight and there was no serious damage done to the brain.

“I was happy to find out that I still do have a healthy brain but it was very scary,”
he said. “They explained to me that little things in my vision and balance have been affected over time. I’ve never been knocked out and only have had one concussion in my career but I know that I’ve had an accumulation of blows to my head over time.”

UFC 200: Previewing the UFC’s greatest card ever:

Fortunately, the minor issues they found could be corrected if Sanchez spent as much time training his mind like he trains his body heading into a fight. According to Sanchez, his routine visits to the center have helped improve his balance, eye speed and reflexes.

“I was able to really improve the brain because I didn’t know I could train the brain the way I train my body,” he said.

Sportsbook Review has Sanchez and Lauzon both listed as -110, which essentially puts them on a level playing field and marks it as the most competitive fight on the card along with Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar. But the first winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” believes he should be the favorite on fight night thanks to his much-improved technique. He was able to show a sample of it against Miller in April where he had a more calculated approach and won a unanimous decision. This isn’t to say that Sanchez will not go toe-to-toe with Lauzon if it calls for it. But he doesn’t plan on being as reckless as he has been in the past.

“When it comes to fights like the one I had with Gilbert Melendez where I stood in the middle of the cage and just started throwing blows, it can happen. But I’m going to be much more strategic with my striking strategy. I’m going to be technical and show my evolution,” he said.

It’s part of Sanchez’s plan to make another run at the UFC lightweight title. After watching Michael Bisping achieve his decade-long dream at UFC 199, Sanchez realized that he could do the same if he worked hard enough for it. And to see Bisping put together the performance he did as a huge underdog against Luke Rockhold lit a fire underneath Sanchez and gave him a feeling he hasn’t felt in years.

“I wasn’t inspired to be the champion anymore,” he said. “I was inspired to put on great fights for the fans. But now everything has changed. I’m going for the title and it’s my belt. It’s waiting for me. I believe in my dream again.”

With a new approach to the fight game after becoming a regular at the Cerebrum Health Center, Diego Sanchez is ready to climb back into title contention, where he hasn’t been since he lost to B.J. Penn at UFC 107 in 2009.

As if that wasn’t motivation enough, Sanchez has one more reason to pull off a big victory at UFC 200.

“My daughter also turns three on the night of UFC 200,” he said. “I’m looking to give her a big birthday present when I knock out Joe Lauzon because it is my destiny.”