"He was gonna kill me" - Diego Sanchez makes slavery allegations against "Charles Manson type" ex-coach Joshua Fabia, blames him for ending UFC career
Diego Sanchez has finally broken free from controversial coach Joshua Fabia, who he claims subjected him to highly unethical treatment. He shared an Instagram video recounting his harrowing ordeal under Fabia's tutelage, with the clip now making the rounds on X.
The MMA legend did not mince words, airing out every detail, including an alarming claim that had he not escaped from Fabia, the two would have likely led to the other's death. Sanchez also blames his former coach for the disheartening manner in which his UFC career ended.
Joshua said:
"I just wanted to go live today, because I'm going through some stuff, and everybody knows how my UFC career came to a halting crash in the end. And for the past two years, I have been running from a very traumatic experience that words cannot even explain how traumatizing this was. It involves a very evil man that manipulated, blackmailed, extorted me and eventually put an end to my UFC career."
He added:
"I paid him money to get out of my life because the situation had become so volatile, and so evil, and dark, that there was no other option. Either he was gonna kill me, or I was gonna have to kill him."
Video footage of Joshua's alleged extortion of Sanchez was recently made available, raising alarm bells across the MMA world, who had previously expressed tremendous disdain for Fabia as a coach.
Check out Diego Sanchez's take on his relationship with Joshua Fabia:
Even before Sanchez disclosed the details of his ordeal with Fabia, the coach generated tremendous controversy, with many criticizing him for some of his training methods like chasing his students around the cage with a knife, or striking Sanchez while suspending the latter upside down.
Diego Sanchez compares Joshua Fabia to Charles Manson
Among some of the more worrisome claims that Diego Sanchez made about his coach was comparing him to infamous American cult leader, Charles Manson, when addressing fan complaints over him not using his MMA skills to protect himself.
"The best way I can put it, you're dealing with a Charles Manson type of mind. Where he's so far gone that it makes him unstable and dangerous."
Sanchez even accused Fabia of subjecting him to a form of slavery.
"Once he found out I didn't have as much money as he thought, he lost his mind, implemented slavery on me. Put me into some of the harshest conditions of torture that people could not even believe."
Check out Diego Sanchez compare Joshua Fabia to Charles Manson (2:13 and 5:09):