Some critics have been lighting up Diego Sanchez online for what transpired in the third round of his disqualification win over Michel Pereira at UFC Rio Rancho. But it seems clear the veteran fighter has no regrets about how he handled the situation.

Sanchez says he didn’t quit

The rugged and eccentric fighter came up short in many of the exchanges he had with the explosive Pereira. As a result, heading into the third and final round it looked like Sanchez was headed to another defeat. Approximately three minutes in, however, Pereira cracked Sanchez with a knee while he was still technically down. The action was immediately halted as a result of the foul, which also cut Sanchez open.

Sanchez could be heard asking officials if he would be awarded the DQ win, if he didn’t continue. Ultimately Sanchez relayed he could not keep fighting and the fight was called.

Those actions prompted some critics to claim Sanchez quit, but while speaking to MMA Junkie, the former TUF winner said this:

“Did I quit? No,” Sanchez said. “I got hit with a (expletive) serious knee to the head. I knew I was going down on the scorecards, I knew how things were rolling out. I made a smart, veteran decision because I know my face is, regardless or not of the last two minutes of the fight, my face is going to be covered in blood. The image is going to be painted on the judges. I already know. I don’t have a chance of winning that fight anymore. So, did I quit? I made a (expletive) smart decision to not put myself in some real danger where I would’ve been injured when that mother(expletive) hit me with an illegal shot when I was down.”

“I took a hard hit to the head, but I made the right decision,” Sanchez said. “I knew that maybe I was going down on the scorecards. I knew. But my opponent lost control. He did not have the awareness to notice that I had gone down from a shot to the ribs. That really injured me, that shot to the ribs. It broke two of my ribs completely. I went down. He did not have the awareness that I went down. He threw a fully powered shot to my mother(expletive) dome piece, that split my wig. Split my forehead. I’m not your average human being. It did not knock me out, but did it damage me? Yes…”

Sanchez did make the smart decision

Now, yes, the comments above won’t change some people’s minds who think Sanchez should have kept fighting regardless. You know, the ‘go out on your shield bro’ mentality.

But, when you consider all the wars Sanchez has been in over the years, no one can question his toughness and heart. Further, Sanchez was almost certainly en route to a loss, even more so because of the foul. Should he have taken more punishment needlessly and not collected a win bonus? No.

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