Police arrested UFC legend Diego Sanchez in Socorro County, New Mexico, on Monday. He was on supervised probation for a felony gun charge at the time of his arrest.
Socorro City Police officers arrested and charged Sanchez with aggravated driving under the influence after he recorded a blood alcohol level over .16 – more than twice the legal limit, according to court documents. Authorities also charged him with violating his probation.
Officers booked Diego Sanchez, 44, at 5:17 p.m. local time on Monday and held him in the Socorro County Jail as of Monday night, according to KOB 4 News.
Diego Sanchez’s arrest could lead to a lengthy prison sentence
The original winner of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 had previously struck a plea agreement that landed him five years of supervised probation alongside 800 hours of community service back in March after firing a gun into the air in Albuquerque. In July 2025, police accused him of firing a Glock 42 out of the window of a moving Jeep Gladiator while in traffic on Interstate 40.
Initially, prosecutors sought a two-year prison term for the fourth-degree felony offense of shooting at or from a motor vehicle, citing “reckless actions when he shot the firearm out of the car window.”
Diego Sanchez, after initially denying firing the weapon, eventually pleaded guilty to a charge of shooting at or from a motor vehicle with no great bodily harm. He also admitted to issues with substance addiction and mental health, and a judge let him go without serving any more time in jail. The court dismissed a second count under his plea agreement.
“All I can do is take accountability, own it, and spread positivity for the youth of the next generation to change these ways, man,” Sanchez told reporters outside the courthouse after being released. “Not to be shooting out windows like cowboys.”
However, a requirement of his five-year probation was complete abstinence from alcohol. The aggravated DUI charge could result in the termination of his probation and prison time for the firearm conviction. The felony firearm charge reportedly carries a possible maximum sentence of six and a half years.