A Brief Background On Diego Sanchez

By: Phoenix Delray

Diego The Nightmare Sanchez was born on December 31, 1981 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a mixed martial artist with a background wrestling and Gaidojutsu, a system of wrestling developed for him by his long time personal trainer, Greg Jackson. Sanchez, in addition to pioneering the combat method that has made him well known in fighting circles, currently fights as a welterweight with the UFC, and made his MMA debut in 2002, fighting mostly in small shows, like the King of the Cage promotion. His UFC debut resulted from his participation in the reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, and his subsequent win against Kenny Florian. Since then, Diego Sanchez has gone on to a successful career as a mixed martial artist.

Gaidojujutsu is a fighting system that incorporates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing, and is popular in both UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Other Gaidojutsu practitioners include Ultimate Fighters Rashad Evans and Keith Jardien, former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and recently deceased naturalist Steve Irwin.

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world. The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.

There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps. The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like headbutts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition.

The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals. With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport, and the athletes involved, like Diego Sanchez, are even more so.

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