What happened to Orlando Sanchez? All about the MMA fighter who nearly injured Sean Strickland in sparring ahead of latter's UFC fightÂ
Former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Orlando Sanchez, who nearly injured ex-UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland during a sparring session ahead of his fight against Uriah Hall, passed away on Dec. 15, 2022, at the age of 40.
According to a report by BJJE, the cause of the grappling star's death was an illicit drug overdose from Fentanyl and Methamphetamine abuse.
Per BJJHeros, Sanchez was a 2015 ADCC world champion, boasting several other note-worthy regional and international titles as a colored belt. During his career, he had registered wins against legendary names like Dean Lister, Leandro Lo, and Vinny Magalhaes.
During the infamous training session with 'Tarzan', the grappling aficionado attempted a shoulder sweep on the American's left-hand side from the under hook position. It's safe to say Strickland was not amused by it.
Fearing the move might have injured his elbow, the UFC star quickly disengaged from the clinch before throwing a spinning back fist at Sanzhez, all the while screaming profanities.
An enraged 'Tarzan' did not stop there but continued his onslaught by kicking his sparring partner on the midsection before walking out of the cage, however, the pair reportedly trained together shortly after the incident.
In footage posted of the incident on YouTube, Strickland can be seen accusing the late grappler of deliberately trying to injure him:
"Bro, first of all, I was f*****g with you [when I said you don't belong here]. You tried to hurt me. It's different, different s**t."
Watch Orlando Sanzhez's infamous sparring session with Sean Strickland below:
Did Orlando Sanchez ever fight in MMA?
While Orlando Sanchez is primarily known for his skills on the mats, a little-known detail about the former jiu-jitsu world champion is his impressive MMA record. From 2010 to 2015, he competed in six MMA bouts as a heavyweight, racking up an undefeated record of 5-0 with one No-Contest.
Starting his mixed martial arts journey with a 13-second TKO over Juan Miranda at Xtreme Vale Todo 5 in 2010, 'The Cuban Tree Stump' then secured three back-to-back wins in the next two years.
His final MMA outing came in April 2015, which he won in dominant fashion, knocking out Cesar Stubbert Cortez in the very first round at CENTER REAL FIGHTS 16.
Watch Orlando Sanchez vs. Cesar Stubbert Cortez below: