Diego Sanchez arrested for drunk driving, violating probation from 2025 gun charges

Retired UFC fighter Diego Sanchez was arrested in Socorro County, New Mexico, on Monday and spent the night in jail after being charged with aggravated driving under the influence and a probation violation. Online court records confirm he was taken into custody with a recorded blood alcohol level above.16, the threshold for an aggravated DUI charge in New Mexico.

The arrest carries serious consequences beyond the DUI itself. In February, Sanchez struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Albuquerque after being arrested in 2025 on multiple gun charges. He pleaded guilty to shooting at or from a motor vehicle with no great bodily harm — a fourth-degree felony — and was sentenced to five years of supervised probation. A strict condition of that probation was that Sanchez abstain from alcohol entirely.

Monday’s arrest, first reported by KOB4 in New Mexico, now places that probation agreement in jeopardy. A violation of probation terms can result in a judge imposing the original suspended sentence or adding new penalties, meaning Sanchez could face significantly harsher legal consequences than the DUI charge alone would typically carry.

As of the time of reporting, no bond had been set and Sanchez remained in custody at Socorro County Jail.

Sanchez, 42, is one of the most recognisable figures in UFC history. He competed in the promotion’s inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 and went on to fight for nearly two decades at welterweight and lightweight, accumulating 30 wins across a 45-fight UFC career before his release from the promotion in 2021.