UFC veteran Diego Sanchez suggests he's 'checking out of this game' after one last fight

The end of the road could be on the horizon for UFC veteran Diego Sanchez.

The 38-year old has been with the UFC since 2005 and had been part of some of the promotion's most exciting fights.

Now, it looks Diego Sanchez is ready to call it a career, but not before one trip to the Octagon.

'The Nightmare' took to Instagram to hint that he's looking for one final retirement fight:

"'I feel lke I always knew fighting was what I wanted to do.' The end of this fighting lifestyle approaches very soon. Retirement fight needs to be the proper opponent, and I'm checking out of this game."

Sanchez has been involved in some of the UFC's most exciting and most memorable wars, but has recently slipped from his former relevance. During his peak, Diego Sanchez was at one point a UFC lightweight championship contender, challenging - and coming up short against - former champion and lightweight great BJ Penn.

Who should Diego Sanchez face in his final MMA fight?

Diego Sanchez's Memorable UFC career revisited

Diego Sanchez has been a fixture in the UFC since 2005, but recent social media post suggests that the end may be near for The Nightmare's long and storied career inside the Octagon.

Sanchez made his way into the UFC via the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he went on to win the show's middleweight tournament. He is currently the last remaining active fighter from the Season 1 cast.

Coming in as an undefeated prospect, Sanchez continued his winning ways inside the Octagon, winning his first six UFC fights and pushing his record to 17-0. He suffered his first career loss at the hands of fellow TUF Season 1 alum Josh Koscheck.

In 2009, Sanchez dropped down to the lightweight division and reeled off back-to-back wins to earn a title shot against then-champion BJ Penn. Sanchez would lose to Penn via 5th-round TKO due to a cut.

Since losing to Penn, Sanchez has had an up-and-down ride in the UFC, including wins over Martin Kampmann, Takanori Gomi, Jim Miller, and Marcin Held. He has also bounced around from featherweight, lightweight, and then back to welterweight again. In his most recent outing, Sanchez lost via unanimous decision to Jake Matthews at UFC 253.

Sanchez's most memorable bout to date has to be his three-round Fight of The Night-worthy war against Gilbert Melendez back in 2013: