Eddie Sanchez (10-1) packs quite a wallop inside the
Octagon. His last victim, Sola Palelei (9-2) bravely made it to the third round
only to be dispatched after a volley of punches had broken the Polynesian’s
nose and will. It was obvious to everyone watching at The Mandalay Bay Events
Center in Las Vegas
on December of 2007 that the well-regarded Australian had enough. The end came
at 3:24 of the third round as Palelei slumped to the canvas a beaten and
bloodied man.
Sanchez, a product of San Marcos
High School in Southern
California, was once a former baseball stand out who played ball
with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization upon graduation in 2000. His major
league aspirations were thwarted after injuring his knee just before the draft
that was supposed to take him into a whole different career path. “I was about
to be drafted and then the injury happened,” recounts Sanchez. “I was a catcher
so it was a career ender. It was hard to suddenly not play a sport I’d been
playing all my life.”
Sanchez’s thirst for competition led him to the art of Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu where he quickly excelled. He was working as a barista at a Starbucks
when an ad for B.J.J. instruction grabbed his attention. He attended the first
class and was hooked. “I loved the sport right from the start. I competed in
Grappler’s Quest after two months of training and won my division,” said
Sanchez. “Before trying my hand at M.M.A., I added some boxing, Muay Thai and
wrestling to the mix.”
After finding much success with San Diego based promoters, Total Combat, the
biggest Mixed Martial Arts company in the world came calling. The U.F.C. and
its president, Dana White, took notice of Sanchez’s raw but promising skills.
His first win with the organization came via stunning knockout over Mario Neto
as part of the Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn card at The Honda Center in Anaheim on September of
2006. “I showed everyone what I’m made of,” said Sanchez after the bout when I
spoke with him. “My wins at Total Combat are what got me to the UFC and wins
like this one are what’s going to keep me in.”
The still developing fighter got the call once again in what
could best be described as a mixed blessing. The U.F.C. wanted Sanchez to face the
legendary and much feared Mirko Cro-Cop in February 2007. The former PRIDE
Grand Prix champion was making his move to White’s fight company and needed a
dance partner. Living under the motto that “fighters always fight when given
the opportunity”, Sanchez gladly agreed to the match.
The result was the first blemish on his record against the
much more experienced fighter who was considered the second best heavyweight in
the world at the time. The finish came at the end of round one as Sanchez was
obviously out of his element, nervous and mentally unprepared for the
assignment. “It’s one I wish I could have back,” laments Sanchez. “I admit I
got caught up in the hype about Cro-cop and the fact that it was only my second
UFC fight definitely affected me. It was something I had to go through to learn
some valuable lessons.”
“I’m a much different fighter than the one who faced Cro Cop
back then,” said Sanchez as he points out his two victories since that lone
loss. His first win back was an impressive knockout of Colin Robinson on UFC 72
which was held in Belfast, Ireland in June of 2007. “I beat
him in his backyard and the people were booing me at me first. After I showed
the crowd their respect they came around and warmed up. The victory was an
important one. I needed to keep winning in order to get bigger fights. I’m
still fairly new to this sport. Right now I’m all about keeping motivated and
focused on the future.”
He credits his drive to succeed to the recent birth of his
son Brody. Like every man, he wants to give his son what he didn’t have. In
Sanchez’s case it isn’t so much about material possessions as much as a stable
home.
His father, a talented Dominican baseball player, separated
from his mother, a native of Guadalajara,
Mexico, at a
critical time in his life. “I want to give my son a stable and supportive
environment. I never had any type of closeness to my father and it really
affected me,” said Sanchez who spoke on what he considers a touchy subject. “Even
when I was doing great as a baseball player I could count on one hand how many
times my father was there for me and it wasn’t a good feeling. I want to change
that for my son. He’s the main reason I train and fight so hard.”
Currently waiting for his next assignment with the UFC,
Sanchez prepares diligently at “The Compound” in Oceanside where he trains in Jiu Jitsu, Muay
Thai and boxing. “I train like a madman. I have that competitive streak in me. Whether
it’s baseball or any other sport. It’s just something you’re born with,”
Sanchez said. “I want to be the best in the world. My goal is to be the number
one heavyweight in the nation. I’m only going to get better and better.”
Unlike most children reared in unstable homes, Sanchez
didn’t gravitate towards drugs or gangs. “I was actually more of a skateboarder
and a jock in high school,” remembers Sanchez. “I played a lot of baseball, I got
good grades and I was a pretty friendly person. I was never in any kind of
shady scene with drug users and gang bangers.”
If there’s one thing that’s slowly making the likeable 25
year old a fan favorite, it’s his willingness to always engage. “My fights
never go to a decision. I either knock someone out or someone has to take me
out. I lay everything on the line every time out,” said Sanchez. “The warrior
in me has no quit. I can’t wait to get the chance to prove my skills against
the best. Whether it’s Tim Sylvia or any other top heavyweight, at this point
I’m fighting for more than just myself. My son’s counting on my success and I
refuse to let him down.”
For more on Eddie Sanchez go to www.ncfightclub.com or www.ufc.com
The Dojo 
Headlines 
Community 
Multimedia 
Information 
