After hanging up the phone, the texts come in rapid-fire batches for nearly 45 minutes, then into the evening and the next morning.

Links to YouTube and Instagram videos. Screenshots. Images. Photos. Messages.

Written by the lone man in Diego Sanchez’s corner on Saturday night at UFC Rio Rancho, Josh Fabia has one final request: “Help me bring awareness to them crucifying me.”

During a nearly one-hour interview, Fabia said the attacks on him began last summer following comments from Joe Rogan, the ubiquitous UFC voice whose media presence has become one of the most significant on the internet, during an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

After and, in fact, during Sanchez’s fight with Brazil’s Michel Pereira, the criticism of Fabia’s corner work came from the ESPN broadcast team, including trainer Trevor Wittman and color commentator Daniel Cormier, and reverberated around the MMA industry.

Ever since, Fabia told The Athletic, he’s been “putting out fires left and right.”

Josh Gross: This is all a reaction to the fight on Saturday?

Josh Fabia: Yeah, it’s been a reaction to … trying to … kind of slander me and ruin Diego Sanchez’s legacy. That’s what it’s about.

Gross: In what regards, exactly? Because of the way the fight ended? How do you mean that?

Fabia: Well, I mean that by, let’s just roll it back. Let’s just roll it back, man. Three opponents over 6-foot-2. Nobody is saying anything about that. Each one of these guys, Diego was fed to be sacrificed. Mickey Gall was supposed to get the come-up off of him. (Michael) Chiesa was supposed to get the come-up off of him. But nobody is giving any respect to Diego’s performance being better than (Rafael dos Anjos’) performance. And no one is going after RDA’s coach. No one is saying RDA was handled. Oh, it looks like a blue belt. You remember all this shit-talk? And who’s talking this narrative, my friend? Joe motherfucking Rogan. So from the beginning — from the very first time I worked with Diego — you tell me how and why Joe Rogan on his show is going to pull some shit up out of context and try to use it to bash me and obligate a fighter (Aljamain Sterling) on his show, knowing the political value and everything that goes on with media, and Joe Rogan’s fans and all that shit, he’s now blackmailing the situation. He’s got to agree with whatever this joker is selling.

Gross: What do you mean “blackmail”?

Fabia: It’s a blackmail position in the sense of you come on the Joe Rogan show as a fighter and you go against him, that’s it. Just like what you’re seeing what’s happening with me. He’ll run you ragged, man. This is the thing. Why am I being attacked? Why is the smallest guy in the industry being attacked? Let’s just look at these facts. Go to YouTube and put in my name. And when you see the video of Joe Rogan come up first and you see that almost 500,000 people have now watched it that are the now supreme, arrogant, followers, sheeple MMA fans. And who is their hero? Joe motherfucking Rogan, who is exploiting all these names and utilizing them for his own success. Is he cutting anybody checks from his YouTube channel? No. You know what I’m saying here. This is all like a wildly done-up inside job. Now you’re going to go to YouTube and you’re going to pull up the video. And you see this video. You’re going to notice the lawyer-like strategy to know the liability to not say my name but to say “cornerman.” Not to say “coach.” Not to say “manager.” No. No. No. Not to say the name of my company. Definitely make sure you don’t say that. But you make sure to put my name on the metadata so it pulls up with my name. That’s called character assassination. That’s called slander. Starting with you, Joe. Starting with you and every media outlet that has copied the same fucking narrative. So I can show you the bots and the bullshit hitting our accounts saying the same words, and they’re all coming with that narrative first. And the second one is the shitty, wild, one-sided commentary coming from, what’s his name, (Trevor) Wittman? This guy is talking like he knows Diego. He doesn’t know Diego. He doesn’t know Diego. So now you’ve got him lying on television, on ESPN. On the UFC’s banner. UFC-endorsed. Now before the fight, we’re going to sit down and have a meeting to give information to (Cormier) and all the commentators so that they know information so that they can fill the gaps of entertainment. OK. So why in the very beginning of the fight is “DC” trying to be cute and funny? Why are you trying to say Diego is bubbling, Diego is foaming at the mouth, he’s spitting all over the place? Why don’t you acknowledge as a motherfucking fighter he had his nose broke over four times. What kind of asshole are you right now? And you’re doing it in his hometown. And at the very beginning before shit had even started, you tell me how come in less than a minute after Diego starts the fight spectacularly, how come nobody is saying anything about that? OK. I’ll go on. Less than a minute into it, (Cormier) is already complaining. “Oh no, this is hard to watch.” Was it really? Wasn’t it already a setup for this man to fail in his own hometown? Don’t you guys see the disadvantages of size? And nobody is asking, “Why did Diego take the fight with this guy?” The answer is because nobody else would and we were feeling pressured with the contract and had to give them what they wanted. That’s the truth. So now we fight the monster. Get no love. No credit. Put on the best show. The best fight in the event. Was it or was it not?

Gross: Uhh, I’m not sure about that. There were some good fights on the card. It ended badly. Diego had always had an aggressive style, right? Always used to take people down and get in wars. I know he’s changed that. He actually credited you with the lack of damage that he has taken, so he has shifted things around and that changed the fight, I think. It was interesting.

Fabia: Was there more cheering in any other fight?

Gross: Well, he’s Diego Sanchez fighting in Albuquerque.

Fabia: So that’s the point. Who do you think they came for? You think they came for Pereira? Why is there no footage on the internet of Albuquerque fucking booing for five minutes. And tell me why this motherfucker (Pereira) is getting a champion’s entrance. Is there something I don’t know? Does he have a belt that I don’t know? Has he done some shit I don’t know? So then on top of it, how come nobody is mentioning in the commentary that Josh Fabia, coach and mentor and everything else, took Diego for a week to the UFC Performance Institute? And trained with Emil “Valhalla” Meek? Max “Pain” Griffin? (Unintelligible.) The guy that last beat Pereira — Tristan Connelly? How come they don’t say that? I got the footage of it. It’s on my IG. So you tell me why the fuck is everybody playing dumb? Why is my name getting run through the gutter? Why do you guys act like you know some stuff I don’t know? You don’t. That’s the truth. I actually know a lot more than you, and you can’t even see it. Your analyzation of the fight is negative.

You just wait until the video slows down and shows you over 60 blocks and evasions. It was the most masterful display ever. Ever. None of you are going to accentuate it. Nobody wants to draw light to it. All right, we’ll do it. If you don’t want to be a part of that, if you want to be on the other side like a sheep listening to the narratives, listening to the negative tones, go watch the video yourself, man. Slow it down. Turn off the sound, and look what happens. You’re going to be like, “Woah. How the fuck did Josh, in less than a year, get a guy who runs into the wall, takes damage over and over again — and no way is that going to be healthy or good for him at 38 years old, but names and know-hows — ‘know what’s best for Diego'”? You do, do you? You see now my point. You guys don’t give a shit about him. You are not helping him. I am helping him. Why is no one talking about that? Why are you not telling the narrative correctly? Why are you not saying this man has transformed in less than a year? He has without a doubt changed his life. Here’s the point: Why is nobody saying that? Why do I have to tell you? What is happening? How could he do it? Nobody is asking me that.

Everybody is over here judging things they can’t even understand. And that’s the truth. So now that you’ve poked the bear, now that you’ve bothered a person who didn’t want any limelight, you bothered a person and poke a person that actually sacrificed his own life to help others — his whole life, in support of others — and I never tried to exploit a person, tried to take credit for a person. If you noticed, it is Diego telling you. I am not telling him to say nothing. He’s a happy customer that is not in denial that he needed help. And the only reason why you don’t hear all my clients singing like that is because I deal with people who suffer with real trauma in their life. They’ve been victimized. Or this. Or that. And they do not want to sound vulnerable saying that they needed help. That’s the truth. Now you’re not a fucking stupid person. You see my logo. “SOS.” The universal sign of distress. Wake up. I am the only doing this without a (501c nonprofit). I’m the only doing this for real. I’m the only one putting my feet on the fucking ground. And you guys are going to judge me like assholes? Straight up, man, look in the mirror. What is really happening is how, why you don’t have the humbleness to ask the question right. Listen, this is the truth, man. And I’ve heard it a million times. That’s how I know who I am. You don’t know who you are yet. That’s why you’re writing about other people, bro. That’s the truth. You’re in a role of an exploitation of other people’s careers and other people’s accomplishments and other peoples’ stuff. That’s it. A form of documentation. And yet I’ll see your name more in history than you’ll ever see mine other than this slanderousness because I’m not one to put my name on anything.

Gross: OK?

Fabia: I’m trying to put something out in the world and not take credit for it, and you guys don’t understand it. On top of it, this is the response I’m going to tell you I get: “Josh, you know too much.” The reality is nobody is saying that because nobody can know too much, but your ego will not allow you to say you know too little. I am showing you that. And you won’t give me credit, because to do that, you no longer exist next to a person who stands 5-foot-2. I haven’t raised a hand on anybody yet. So you want to tell me what everybody’s scared about, man?

Gross: Josh, I don’t think people are scared. I think you’re dealing with the fight community, and there are a lot of people who have experience in that world and their own perspective. They’re seeing what you’re doing and finding it different, and they’re responding to you, and you perceive it to be very negative and slanderous. I’m curious, do you feel comfortable in the fight space with Diego? You understand enough of what’s happening that you can serve him well in that environment? Because a lot of people seem to think that you don’t.

Fabia: What would tell them that?

Gross: Their experience in the fight game. What they’ve seen. What they’ve done. Pat Miletich called you a snake oil salesman. That’s Pat Miletich.

Fabia: Yeah I don’t care who that is.

Gross: He was the first UFC champion at 170 pounds. He was in the division that Diego fights in. He was one of the great trainers in the sport.

Fabia: He can be whoever he is, man, but that’s my point. You’re repeating the narrative from Joe Rogan. Has he met me? Has he trained with me? Has he experienced any form of what I am and what I do?

Gross: He referred to a video where you were working with fighters and you were pushing them with your finger.

Fabia: Hold on. Hold on.

Gross: That is what got his reaction.

Fabia: Yeah, I was pushing him with my finger and breaking his form. I was breaking his form with my finger. Have you not watched the video?

Gross: I did see it. Yeah.

Fabia: Can you really not see the mastery of movement in action? Are you really that fucking blind? You’re not going to give me credit? You’re not going to give me credit when I’m not a stage performer, I’m not doing katas, but you guys are jumping on me like I’m an actor. Get the fuck out of here, man. Seriously, hold on, hold on, hold on. Has anyone paid you to protect them as a security person? Who the fuck are you guys to judge somebody? There are people who have paid me to protect them and their family. Do you understand? You have an understanding of what you think danger is. When I train with Diego, I don’t use a mouthpiece or gloves. You do not have a clue who I am, and that is not what I’m showing in the market space for civilians. I actually know what I’m doing, so I am going to give it to the people who need it. That’s Diego, only. So that’s why when I put out footage, it’s to throw you guys left, and you’re so fucking stupid you’re biting it and you’re not even taking the lesson of what I am showing you. Look at the progression of movement. Diego is changing. Nobody wants that story. Nobody wants to see that story.

Gross: He has definitely fought differently, and the damage he’s taken is less. His whole decision-making process is different. No question you have had an influence over his career and what it looks like.

Fabia: Not only an influence. The past three fights are the longest period in his life he hasn’t experienced any real damage. All right? This cut was from an illegal blow. If you want you can find more footage of this motherfucker looking at his head, knowing exactly what he was doing. It was more malicious than you think.

Knees to the body drop Sanchez followed by an illegal knee resulting in him winning via DQ #UFCRioRancho pic.twitter.com/33vd5duifj — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 16, 2020

The UFC was trying to give Pereira his Latin culture market, and he didn’t realize it was Latin-ish and it was Diego’s. Planning to sacrifice him to the unpredictable giant that nobody wants to fight because he is that dangerous? Oh, OK. But little Josh and Diego take that fight all by themselves. No team. No gym. No nothing. And we just did that, and no love? On top of it, Pereira gets that walkout. The proof of the market share that I was talking about, that’s why the music was a thing that they thought was going to land, man. And it didn’t land. And that’s why you don’t see any footage of it put out. That’s the truth. Wake up, man. So you want to tell me Albuquerque love, but none of you fucking idiots can see that they’re trying to kick the shit and kill Diego in the ring. And you morons who don’t know how to stay alive, you guys are trying to tell him to run into danger and be the same asshole you used to be because that’s what I’m used to. And I like to see blood. But I’m not going to be there when you’re fucked up, Diego. I’m just going to be there laughing at the CTE comments. I’m just going to be there, you know, taking pictures and acting an asshole to you on the internet. I’m going to slip in your DMs. Lots of love but nothing in the public eye. So this is what I mean, man. No. I’m not going to let this happen to this man’s legacy, and yet that’s kind of the problem.

And yet that’s kind of the problem. That’s really the problem. How is this guy getting revived? How does he look so young? What’s this anti-aging? But we’re not really going to contact SOS. We’re really not going to contact this guy called the manager. You want to know the truth? (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby has never contacted me. Never talked to me. And Diego has told him time and time again that I am the manager. I am the coach. All things need to be run through me. Why are they avoiding dealing with me?

Gross: It’s a good question. Why do you think?

Fabia: It doesn’t matter what I think. The fact of the matter is, why are you inhibiting doing business correctly and allowing somebody to oversee some things so that they’re not able to manipulate Diego?

Gross: Didn’t he just sign a new contract?

Fabia: Exactly, man. (Unintelligible.) We got problems, but I ain’t going to get into that with you. But this is my point. They’re trying to be the bamboozlers. They’re trying to be weirdos. They’re trying to be slick. And yet nobody is looking at that. And they use Joe Rogan to be the assassin. They use Cormier to be the assassin. They use this piece of shit Wittman to be the assassin. They allow these other guys to talk this shit. Again, if you don’t know me, why are you talking, man? So it’s the same thing, man. This is fake news narrative bashing, and it’s like, wait a minute, so you guys don’t see this as bullying?

Gross: Are you from Albuquerque originally?

Fabia: No, man. I’m from all over the world. And that’s the point.

Gross: How long have you been there?

Fabia: Seven or eight years.

Gross: What is your martial arts background?

Fabia: I have a very colorful martial arts background, man. I came from traditional Filipino martial arts all the way to muay Thai, aikido and sambo and systema and whatever else, man, because I can do it all. That’s the point. I know how to use my body. I can do something that you identify as everything. “Oh, in my imagery all I can see is yoga.” That’s your limited understanding, man. Listen, this is the truth. You have a wheel. All right. And on the hub of the wheel, each area we’ll say is a subject matter of martial arts. Or a brand of martial art. Just get into the history of it. You guys are all talking out of your ass about martial arts. Where have you been in the world to test your skills with martial artists around the world? This is what I mean. I lived around the world. I’ve been challenged and tested over and over again. This is nothing new. You know what I mean? So here’s the wheel, and every part of this wheel is a brand. Whatever you want to say. Taekwondo. Whatever. This and this and this. Now all the way around the wheel, each one of those subjects as a spoke. And it’s going to the center. And the hub would be you. You are stuck looking at the edge of the hub, and you’ve studied an inch into the spoke. And you think you understand some things. I am teaching and show the hub. I don’t start on the outside. And I’m not doing shallow shit. I’m starting at the source, which is you. So when I teach you how to move, you can do anything. You can do any sport.

Then, again, look who I am. You see? Do not question things when you see the guy in the movie that you can’t look up. Just recognize it’s above your paygrade, playboy. Like I’ve been doing some things in the world which nobody is supposed to know. And you assholes that think of celebrity trainers, and this and that. No, dude, that’s all a joke. When you train real people, it’s called NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), so I don’t know this bullshit that you might think is going on. And then I’m over here actually trying to figure out something for free and helping the special needs and helping (unintelligible). What are you doing? You see what I mean. You guys are not good people. You’re not acting like good people. So now I’m going to check the wall for unaware people and being sheeple. Now I’m going to put you guys on the chopping block for being assholes and not seeing that the industry that you love, this fight industry, this energy of toxicity and negativity, this bullshit that’s going on with me, is exactly what spills out into society as assault, and assholes wearing board shorts and UFC shirts thinking that they’re tough. Then this thing happens where none of this culture, none of you people making money off of all this, are taking any responsibility for your participation in the bullshit demise of our society. Stir the bullshit and keep waving it in everybody’s face. Stir ’em up. Let’s say it the wrong way. Let’s call him a quitter and put a question mark. Let me ask a question, man. Why aren’t you making any questions of how the fuck and why the fuck do they have the footage out of Diego having to say anything when it is official UFC rules that the ref calls a disqualification, not the fighter? So now you are putting the fighter at risk asking them a question with a head strike — an obvious head strike, not a glancing — and put them on the spot, and now you’re going to take that video and exploit them and tarnish his legacy? You want to go to Diego’s account and look at all the bullshit bot chickenshit that’s going on out there? And where are these bot accounts coming from? If you’re so fucking smart, follow the money. Who can afford that and who wants to paint the narrative? Is Pereira getting any of this? That’s what I’m saying, man. Nobody is seeing any of this, but yet you’re talking real loud making a lot of noise and pointing a lot of fingers, man.

Gross: In the moment when Diego was asked the question, he asked if you could come in and help him. If you could have come in there and helped him, what would you have told him?

Fabia: I would have told him, “Shut your mouth and allow the ref to do his job.” I would tell the ref, “Why are you not doing your job on television in the fucking octagon?” Because now it’s real. That is illegal. You cannot go against your own rules, exploit somebody when you do it, and put them on the chopping block on the media, on the fans, on everything. He’s an active UFC Hall of Famer, but we’re going to do him like that. You know what? He didn’t perform good. He didn’t get the shit beat out of him. Pereira only landed three strikes, and one of them was the DQ strike. (According to FightMetric, Pereira landed 53 signature strikes compared to Sanchez’s 25.) Tell me how nobody is saying my guy is Mayweather level. McGregor level. And Conor McGregor obviously sees it. Why did the tweet come out? And why is no one saying it’s interesting he deleted it so fast? He might have been told to do that. Man. You guys are so “Eyes Wide Shut” and yet running around with all your “I need to push out content as fast as possible.”

This is what’s happening. None of you guys contacted me and vetted me before. But you’ll run me through the ringer. That’s called slander, man. None of you have done your research. None of you have talked to people I have trained. None of you have done any due diligence. I could sue the shit out of every single one of you. Look up the word slander. It says in the description, in the example, I am suing the TV and media for slander. What are you guys doing? I am the best person in the world that you would ever have ever met and ever known, but you don’t know that, and now you’re stopping people from ever getting to know me. And you don’t think you’re trying to ruin my legacy with what I’ve done in the world? You’ve got people not wanting to stand up for me because the people I stand up for have been victimized. Don’t you see that? No, you don’t see that because you’re part of the bully crew. You see?

Gross: People are going to be curious about you. You’re now a public figure who works with a popular fighter.

Fabia: And go to my site, and that’s the information I’m putting out for you. You are not paying me to help you in any specific way. You do not deserve to get to know me in any specific way when you have not given me what I am willing to give you. And that’s called time and energy, the only two real commodities in this world. No, you want to give me shit and wonder why you’re not getting any understanding. Nobody has reached out.

Gross: I mean I am talking to you now.

Fabia: But this is the first time, and this is the first fight. A year has gone by, and I let everyone talk shit, yeah? I let everybody talk shit. I haven’t rebutted. Not one word. I haven’t gone with the media. I haven’t said anything. I didn’t cry back. I didn’t smack back. But this is not going like this because I am here to protect Diego. I don’t need to carry a gun or throw punches or scare people to do that. I only show the truth. And the point is you are controlled by more darkness than light to the point of you’ve been living so dark you can’t even recognize light anymore. Now you’re upset at what you’re looking at — it’s blinding you. If you give credit to what I’ve done here, I should be getting Coach of the Year.

Gross: Well …

Fabia: You tell me in what history anybody over 30 has 180’d their style. Give me anybody. Give me a southpaw that went reverse, even. Give me somebody that can do what I just did.

Gross: What was your inspiration for changing him that way? How did you come to that? How did you do that?

Fabia: Because I am giving him the understanding of the hub. He’s a true martial artist now. And when you see these 60 blocks, you’re going to realize you guys are so silly, man, for judging him. And not even recognizing if there was so much damage, how was he able to move around so well? You guys are not putting one and two together, and yet you’re the analysts. You’re the ones writing about this. You want to take a lesson from the School of Self, and I’ll teach you how to open your eyes. That’s the problem. You’re not seeing what I’ve done, and if you recognize that, you will see that like the Vedas, like some of these other masterpieces, I am trying to leave something for the world selflessly. But you don’t see that because you guys are coming at me like I am hurting Diego. Tell me how am I hurting Diego? How is he getting hurt? You want him to do the thing that gets him hurt, because you know so much, right? Because you’ve been in a lot of fights. A lot of training? Yeah, mine weren’t documented because I wasn’t fighting in a space which people document. So again recognize that I am not the guy that wanted the attention.

Now I am going to make sure that everybody knows don’t bully people. It’s not a cool look. If you’re going to pick on the smallest guy in the room, then you’re the biggest asshole in the room. And that’s the truth. And if you don’t accept that, admit that, recognize that, then clearly you’re sitting next to other assholes. You’ve identified with them. And you will not recognize it. That’s it. So this mob mentality coming off of the comedic sensation of Joe Rogan is what creates this. Joe Rogan is a fucking comedian. So he tries to fill space with these types of jokes. He’s got his thing. He knows how to do it, right? But that doesn’t mean a fighter under pressure doesn’t feel obligated to fill empty space. Now they’re just saying things that don’t need to be said. And they’re trying to be funny. They’re already laughing at their own jokes. Nothing’s fucking funny, man. You’re giving your own laugh reel behind it. What’s going on here? Is this an actual fight game, or is it just entertainment?

Gross: It’s a mix of both. That is what it’s turned into.

Fabia: It’s a mix of both. So if it’s a mix of both and it’s turning into the WWE, then why are you attacking me? I’m good for the story, man. Like, I can get what you’d attack me for. I’m good for the story. So that’s the real question. Why am I being crucified? Why is the guy who has actually sacrificed time, energy, money, everything, man — I went to Team Lakay in the Philippines to research to see about bringing Diego to a strike camp out there and train. But I am a shit coach. You want to go look up Team Lakay. Go lookup Team Lakay, and tell me if I am a shit coach.

Gross: So organize camps for Diego? His prep is run by you?

Fabia: I do everything.

Gross: Have you ever done that before?

Fabia: I’ve done that for teams and whole units. I train thousands of people at a time. I am not a fucking clown. These guys have not done their research. Go watch my IG. The whole thing. From start to finish. Go to School of Self, roll your ass all the way down to the bottom. Roll all the way up. Every single video, watch it. Every single one. And you try to tell me. You try to talk shit? Are you really telling me that governments, and like you don’t know the disrespect of which you’re trying to say that I am a clown. Because I’ve been vetted by the people that know, man. Not by some wannabe community trying to bully me because they can’t control me because I am not in their community. Maybe you should recognize that.

Gross: And that’s your opinion of mixed martial arts and the community around it? That’s what you’re talking about?

Fabia: I’m talking about this bullied attitude of you can’t recognize who I am and what I have to offer because I am not selling martial arts on the mainstream that you would see that. Diego found out who I am and what abilities I have, so I am giving that to him. Him only. Him only. I am not over here training a bunch of fighters. I am not over here trying to have a gym of fighters. I am not over here trying to be Wink (Mike Winkeljohn). No. No. So you guys don’t know what I do, and that’s the point. You don’t know. And you don’t have any grasp of how much I understand about the human body and how come Diego was able to control him with just movement. How was he able to herd and wrangle him to an extent not to get damaged and to work to try to get in? Like you guys didn’t see it because it was that masterful. It’s 10 levels above everything you’re seeing. You didn’t catch it, man.

Gross: Can you tell me how you put that together? The game plan — how does that start? What is that process?

Fabia: That process is an evolutionary process of him evolving in the sense that I have to correct his body, re-proportionate everything, get everything running and working right. Get everything in balance, meaning his sense. Getting everything to work right to be able to function correctly under extreme pressure. Oh, but nobody is talking about that. Nobody is talking about that’s the calmest I’ve seen Diego. That’s the coolest. That’s a real example of a wise man there. He wasn’t even jumping around. He ain’t wasting shit. He’s 38 years old, and he’s about to deal with a monster. Seriously, give Diego an actual fair fight with a guy the same size, over 30, and you will see.

Gross: What do you want next for him?

Fabia: Ask yourself the question why can’t we fight Demian Maia when Maia has called him out? Why can’t we fight Anthony Pettis when Pettis called him out? I mean there are a lot of guys that are much better fights for him, but understand who they’re putting in front of him and the situation of Diego not wanting to be that guy that turns down a fight. They’re manipulating that concept just like calling him a chicken and this whole thing setting-up that he is tarnishing his legacy with that footage they’re putting out on him. Exploiting him. He just took a head injury, and you’re trying to get him to go risk it. For how much time? Do you not realize how fast that fight was going? At what pace that fight was going? No one mentions this. How come you can’t see it and it seems slower? Because Diego is matching his speed and angles. It was so masterful. It’s so beyond your ability to grasp, man. Diego was a motherfucking ninja. I swear to you. But he never was before.

If you guys don’t recognize that, it comes back to when you want help later, when you want this later. If you wanted to know, you should have just played cool, and I would have helped all of you because that’s who I am. But instead you’re coming at me? You’re going to attack me? Really? Really? I am the guy that takes Diego to the Middle East and runs a training camp from out there just to get away from you haters. And he transforms not being around this negativity. And you guys can’t see it. You’re toxic, man. This whole thing. And these wannabe fans that act like they care when you don’t care. You’re just wanting the gladiator business to happen and take advantage of seeing something entertaining. You’ve never been hit in the face, but you want this guy to get hit in the face. You know what’s going on here? You’re not getting people to say Diego is getting more technical. Wow. I saw him switch stances 29 times. That’s really not Diego. I’ve never seen that before. Nobody saw that because the narrative has already been written. And you’re over here fucking regurgitating it, because like sheep all you heard from is a shepherd. That’s it, man. That’s it. And Cormier’s advice and this Wittman guy’s advice is the advice to sacrifice Diego. And yet they’re saying the cornerman is weird and strange. Listen man, if the fans are so stupid that you can’t see this smear campaign — you’re already on the dark side man. I can’t help you. You’re already a narcissist and a sociopath, and the reason that society is that way is because we’re rewarding narcissists and sociopaths. If you notice, Diego is no longer that way. And now they’re not going to reward him. There’s something going on. What’s happening? How come when a person becomes a better person, they get hated on? Does that make any sense?

Gross: The criticism leveled at you wasn’t a reaction to if Diego is in a better place or not. It had to do with the corner work you did. That is based on their experience. They don’t have to know what you’re doing, apparently. They’re not clued in.

Fabia: Again, did he suffer damage? Have you ever seen a fighter like that ever? And you’re talking about you think you know what to do with that guy. There is nobody like that guy in the UFC, which is why nobody wanted to fight him. So again how about giving Josh a little credit? But no, I’m not going to give him credit for the Mickey Gall fight even though he is the only thing that changed in Diego’s camp. He’s been losing and taking damage his whole career with Jackson-Wink, but we’re not going to acknowledge that. We’re not going to acknowledge that Jackson-Wink produces people that also end up winking. People got stars over their eyes. How many people? That might tell you your coach should tell you to keep your guard up. Does he know how to keep it up? My face is kind of pretty. I’ve been shot. I’ve been stabbed. What do you think is going on here? This is laughable.

(Editor’s note: Responses were edited for length and clarity.)

(Top photo: Josh Hedges / Zuffa)