UFC Hall-of-Famer Diego Sanchez cleared to make his BKFC debut against professional boxer Austin Trout

Diego Sanchez finally received the green light for his debut at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship against professional boxer Austin Trout.

Rumors of the UFC Hall-of-Famer going up against former boxing world champion in a bare-knuckle boxing match have been around since November of last year.

However, the matchup was yet to be confirmed as New Mexico's Athletic Commissioner Jerome O’Connell refused to give Sanchez the go-ahead to fight due to concerns about his mental health.

However, after several neurological tests, the fighter has finally been cleared to make his BKFC debut with a 3-1 vote from the NMAC earlier today.

The fight will be a co-main event at the upcoming KnuckleMania 3 card on Feb. 17 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Breaking the news first, MMA journalist Nolan Kings took to his official Twitter handle and wrote:

"Diego Sanchez vs. Austin Trout was green-lighted at a New Mexico Athletic Commission (NMAC) meeting earlier today on a 3-1 vote. After some initial concerns, Sanchez provided additional medical testing and received approval for the #BKFC bout."

You can check out the tweet below:

Following the conclusion of his UFC tenure in 2021, the welterweight fighter joined Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC and made his debut in the promotion last year. He faced off against Kevin Lee but ultimately lost by a unanimous decision after three rounds.

With his upcoming bout, it will be intriguing to see if Diego Sanchez can regain his footing and return to winning ways.

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Why was Diego Sanchez terminated from the UFC?

Despite being one of the longest-tenured athletes in UFC history, Diego Sanchez was released from the promotion in 2021.

Reports suggest that the UFC was concerned about Diego Sanchez's coach, Joshua Fabia, who had requested all of Sanchez's medical records from 2004 and had been seen berating company employees.

Following the incident, UFC's chief business officer Hunter Campbell contacted both the fighter and his coach. Fabia revealed that Sanchez had some medical issues despite the fighter passing pre-fight medical tests, including a brain scan.

Authorities quickly raised concerns about the situation, resulting in the fighter being removed from his bout with Donald Cerrone at UFC Vegas 26 and from the promotion altogether.

In a subsequent statement, Dana White mentioned that the promotion would not allow someone to compete if they could not guarantee their health and safety.