Diego Sanchez was one of the most popular fighters competing in the UFC during his career but before that he was able to beat a black belt in a BJJ match despite being just a white belt himself. Sanchez entered one of the famous Grappler’s Quest tournaments, a popular event that often featured some of the best competitors in the world like Ryan Hall and Jeff Glover. Grappler’s Quest was known for incredibly tough divisions and the particular edition that Sanchez entered was no exception either. It was a cash prize absolute division that included fellow MMA legends Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, among other talented grapplers at the time.
Renzo Gracie BJJ black belt Jamie Cruz was the man who stood opposite Diego Sanchez in the semi-final of the tournament and the two competitors put on an excellent match together. A quick snap down by Sanchez gave him the opening to get underhooks and Cruz pulled butterfly guard immediately after. Sanchez did a great job of staying heavy on top and shutting down any elevation, but Cruz did manage to get in on the legs eventually. Sanchez scrambled free and Cruz stood back up with him, before pulling guard again when Sanchez started to increase the pace.
Cruz was able to attack the legs quicker this time and almost used the opening to sweep Sanchez, but a nice reaction saved him. Cruz immediately returned to top position, working his passing until he could get to mount. He tried to latch on to an armbar as Cruz made his escape but he couldn’t lock it in and Cruz came up on top in the process. That gave Sanchez the opportunity to show off his guard game and he even briefly attempted a triangle choke, although Cruz was wise to it and shut it down.
Sanchez was eventually able to wrestle up and force Cruz to return to standing himself, before quickly shooting in for a takedown. Sanchez tried to pass but Cruz showed some excellent guardplay, constantly recovering and slowing Sanchez down at first. Sanchez was able to force his way to half guard and eventually that led to him passing to mount, where Cruz turned to his knees and expose his back in the process. Sanchez took control and worked hard to get his hooks in but he wasn’t able to do so, settling for top half guard instead in the end.
The match slowed a little at this point as Sanchez kept up a heavy top-game and tried to work his way through Cruz’s guard. He saw an opportunity to attack the arm while he was passing and did so incredibly quickly, but again Cruz pulled his arm free and came up on top. Sanchez attempted another triangle choke off his back as the footage ended, and he was declared the winner soon after. Diego Sanchez progressed to the final where he faced another BJJ black belt in Roy Nelson, although he wasn’t able to get the win and had to settle for second place.
Diego Sanchez shared the footage of him competing in a BJJ tournament as a white belt and defeating a black belt in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
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