UFC 244: 4 historic UFC fights that could've been for a 'BMF Title'

#4 Nick Diaz vs. Diego Sanchez – Ultimate Fighter II Finale, 5th November 2005

Diego Sanchez's fight with Nick Diaz was filled with bad blood

Back in 2005, neither Nick Diaz nor Diego Sanchez had quite reached the fame and notoriety they would in later years; Diaz only had five UFC fights to his name, and while Sanchez had gained a following due to his victory on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, his true worth as an elite-level fighter was still largely unknown.

Still, the two men definitely had the attitude to be considered the UFC’s ‘BMF’, and when they were matched together on the Finale show of the second season of TUF, it felt like fireworks were guaranteed to ensue.

Even before they entered the Octagon, you could tell this was a truly bitter rivalry between two young prospects that genuinely disliked each other. Sanchez’s pre-fight talk spoke of “elbows dropping and bones breaking”, and Diaz’s hatred of his opponent extended to throwing a shoe at him during the backstage warm-up for the fight.

The pre-fight staredown was as intense as it got; the two men went nose-to-nose with neither man giving an inch, and the clash itself turned out to live up to all the hype. This wasn’t a wild trade of strikes like Lawler/Condit or Silva/Liddell, either – this was a high-paced grappling match between two mat wizards.

In the end it was Sanchez’s superior takedowns and top control that won the fight, as he continually tackled Diaz and sliced him up with elbows – although Diaz cut him open in the third round with a vicious upkick to even the score somewhat.

And while ‘The Nightmare’ came away with his hand raised, affirming his status as one of the Welterweight division’s baddest men, Diaz’s attitude was pure ‘BMF’ too – he stated that despite losing the fight, he still had no respect for his opponent.