The night a former MMA world champion fought a fan with Down syndrome

The evening you wouldMMA world champion band with a fan with Down syndrome

The great act of Diego Sanchez that made a dream come true

Sport is sometimes much more than a game. Sport educates, sport teaches, sport socialises. When we talk about combat sports, there may be many critics who are of the opinion that they lead to violence and should not be watched by children and teenagers. However, there are moments that everyone should know about and that everyone can admire. In the following lines, we will recall a story related to free fights, which is an example not only of a good deed, but also shows how great a person an MMA champion can be.

Diego Sanchez is a former UFC middleweight as well as welterweight world champion. He has competed in a total of four different divisions since 2002 and has 44 professional fights, winning 30 and losing 14. Sanchez is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States, but one of the most memorable moments of his career not related to success against a particular competitor, or a great match in which he participated. It is associated with a truly wonderful deed.

It is about one of his fights that are not included in the statistics and are not part of the show "The Ultimate Fighter", which he won, although he was not placed among the favorites. On the contrary, it is one of the most key matches that have been organized with his participation so that the name of "The Nightmare", as his nickname is, will become well known throughout the world, even to people who are not fans of bohy sports.

Let's go back to January 2017 when Sanchez faced Isaac Marquez. Marquez is a longtime MMA fan who has Down syndrome and arrived that year at the Jackson-Wink Academy to meet some of his favorites and train. At that time, Sanchez was also training there, and he formed a friendship with his future opponent. So the two agree to face off in an exhibition match, which is part of Jackson Wink's second fight night.

From all the available videos that can be found on social networks and the internet, it is seen that the two contestants are showing their best and trying to offer a spectacular fight to the viewers. It's clear that if Sanchez fulfills his potential against a man in this position, it won't be well received, but he knows what to do to satisfy the fans and make a dream come true for someone like Isaac.

The bout didn't last long as Marquez was able to lock up one of the best fighters in the UFC and the referee ended the bout as Diego Sanchez surrendered. Crazy joy ensues from the athlete with Down syndrome, because he not only touches his favorite sport and his idols, but even faces one of them in the Octagon and manages to win the match.

Diego Sanchez's career can always be described as controversial. It has its ups and downs, good and bad moments, but surely one of the most memorable is when the former world champion arranged a meeting with a man with Down syndrome to fulfill his dream and lost that fight to won the hearts of millions. Such acts show how much humanity, how much kindness there is in an athlete, whether he is also a competitor in combat sports and MMA in particular.