Brett OkamotoMar 27, 2026, 12:08 PM ET
CloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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Retired UFC fighter Diego Sanchez was sentenced to five years of supervised probation on Thursday, after pleading guilty to a felony gun charge dating back to last year.
Sanchez, 44, was arrested in July 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after police said he fired a gun into the air from the inside of a Jeep as it was passing a motor vehicle accident. Sanchez, who told the court he has been working on his sobriety and mental health, took responsibility for his actions. According to a report by KOB 4 in Albuquerque, prosecutors had pushed for a two-year prison sentence.
“People do make mistakes,” Sanchez said. “This is Albuquerque, the wild wild west. I made a bad mistake.”
Sanchez rose to fame in the UFC in 2004, as the winner of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. He fought for a UFC championship in 2009 and the UFC inducted his fight against Clay Guida in 2009 into its Hall of Fame. He was released by the promotion in 2020.