"That has to be rough" - Angela Hill believes Diego Sanchez's divorce left him vulnerable to outside influences

Angela Hill (Left) and Diego Sanchez (Right)
Angela Hill (Left) and Diego Sanchez (Right)

It was Angela Hill's first fighters meeting as part of the broadcast team when she witnessed Diego Sanchez's coach Joshua Fabia crash the scene. While Hill admitted the incident made her nervous, it also compelled her to think about Diego Sanchez's situation.

In a recent interview with Aaron Bronsteter of TSN, Angela Hill said that going through a divorce might have caused Diego Sanchez to become overly dependent on Joshua Fabia. Hill mentioned that her husband is an important part of the support system that enables her to stay motivated through the peaks and valleys of a fighting career. She believes that associating with Fabia could be Sanchez's attempt to gain emotional support and cope with his career downturn. Angela Hill said:

"I actually watched Diego's (Sanchez) interview with Anthony Smith and he said it started with his wife leaving him and I'm like, 'Argh, that has to be rough.' Because my whole backbone, my whole system is based around my husband being there for me." Angela Hill continued, "I have someone to talk to, someone to vent to. Someone to always encourage me and tell me I'm the best. When that person leaves, you look for that. You try to fill that void."

Angela Hill's comments refer to the revelation made by Diego Sanchez in an interview with Anthony Smith. Sanchez stated that his wife wanted him to retire from MMA after a series of losses which created a rift between them and led to a divorce. Sanchez continued to say that he felt ignored in his former training camp, Jackson-Wink MMA. Joshua Fabia met Diego Sanchez during this time and became his manager and head coach. Fabia's interference in Diego Sanchez's life has been at the forefront of the controversy surrounding Sanchez's release from the UFC and the drama that followed.

Angela Hill will return to the UFC octagon on May 8

Angela Hill (13-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) is slated to return to the UFC octagon against Amanda Ribas (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the opening bout of the UFC Vegas 26 main card on May 8, 2021. Both women co-occupy the No.11 spot in the official UFC rankings.

Angela Hill last competed against Ashley Yoder in March 2021 and won the fight via unanimous decision to get back in the win column. Her previous two fights ended in a loss against Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson in 2020. Angela Hill will look forward to putting together a good streak starting with a win over Ribas on May 8. Hill's opponent Amanda Ribas is coming off a loss to Marina Rodriguez at UFC 257 in January 2021. The loss snapped her four-fight winning streak in the UFC octagon.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande