Andrew William Sanchez (born April 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC) and Resurrection Fighting Alliance.

Background

Sanchez started training in various forms of martial arts as a teenager. He was a two-time national championship wrestler at McKendree University and was named the 2011 NAIA Wrestler of the Year. He graduated in 2011 with a degree in Sociology.

Mixed martial arts career

Sanchez began fighting professionally in 2012 where he compiled a record of 7–2 on the regional circuit.

The Ultimate Fighter

He was added as one of the 16 Light Heavyweight fighters invited to the cast

The Ultimate Fighter 23 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

. He won his entry fight against Phil Hawes via unanimous decision. Next up, he defeated Myron Dennis via unanimous decision. In the semifinals, he defeated Eric Spicely by knockout in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sanchez made his promotional debut on July 8, 2016 at UFC The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale in the Light Heavyweight finals against Khalil Rountree. He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision with the score card of (30-25, 30–25, 30–26). Sanchez next faced Trevor Smith in a middleweight bout on December 9, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 102. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Sanchez faced Anthony Smith on April 15, 2017 at UFC on Fox 24. He lost the fight via knockout due to a combination of knee and punches in the third round. Sanchez faced Ryan Janes on December 1, 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Sanchez was expected to face Antonio Braga Neto on August 25, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 135. However, Neto was removed from the bout on August 2 for undisclosed personal issues and replaced by Markus Perez. Sanchez won the fight via unanimous decision. Sanchez faced promotional newcomer

Marc-André Barriault Marc-André Barriault (born February 18, 1990) is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Middleweight division. He previously competed with TKO Major League MMA where h ...

on May 4, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 151. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Sanchez was scheduled to face David Branch on September 14, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 16. However, it was reported that Branch was forced to pull from the event due to injury and he was replaced by Marvin Vettori. However, it was reported that Sanchez was forced to pull from the event due to an eye infection, resulting in the cancellation of the bout. In turn, the pairing was left intact and eventually took place a month later at UFC on ESPN+ 19. Sanchez lost the fight via unanimous decision. Sanchez was scheduled to face Zak Cummings on April 25, 2020. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, UFC president Dana White announced on April 9 that the event was indefinitely postponed. Sanchez faced Wellington Turman on August 8, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 174. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Sanchez was scheduled to face André Muniz on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257. In late December, Muniz withdrew due to an injury and he was replaced by Makhmud Muradov. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. Sanchez faced Bruno Silva on October 16, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 195 ''UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 195'', ''UFC Vegas 40'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 53'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 16, 2021, at the UFC A ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. On October 28, 2021 it was announced that Sanchez was no longer on the UFC roster.

Post UFC

Sanchez faced Gabriel Checco on May 20, 2022 at Eagle FC 47. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Professional titles

*Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Performance of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 13–7 , Gabriel Checco , Decision (unanimous) , Eagle FC 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 , Bruno Silva , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 , Makhmud Muradov , TKO (flying knee and punches) , UFC 257 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:59 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Wellington Turman , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 , Marvin Vettori , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Markus Perez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United St ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 , Ryan Janes , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:59 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Anthony Smith , KO (head kick and punches) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:52 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Trevor Smith , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Ci ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Khalil Rountree , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , John Poppie , TKO (spinning back fist and punches) , RFA 28 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:53 , St. Louis, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Clinton Williams , TKO (punches) , RFA 26 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:17 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 , Kevin Casey , KO (punches) , RFA 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Miles Marshall , TKO (punches) , RFA 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Todd Meredith , TKO (punches) , RFA 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:51 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Dustin Jacoby , Decision (split) , Capital City Cage Wars: The Uprising , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Thomas Jones , TKO (punches) , TTP: Tommy Tran Promotions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 , Branson, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Darryl Cobb , Submission (rear-naked choke) , FHMMA: Fight Hard MMA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 , St. Charles, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Edward Smith , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CC 38: Cage Championships 38 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Sullivan, Missouri Sullivan is a city that straddles the border of Franklin and Crawford counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 6,906 at the 2020 census. History On January 28, 1839, 120 acres were conveyed by the U.S. Government to Garretso ...

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Andrew 1988 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists from Illinois McKendree University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers