Things have not been going well for Andrew Sanchez away from the Octagon.

It has been five years since a knockout loss to Bruno Silva marked the end of Sanchez’s journey in the UFC.

The light heavyweight veteran fought on MMA’s biggest stage between 2016 and 2021, having earned his spot on the roster through The Ultimate Fighter.

‘El Dirte’ has struggled for form since leaving the UFC, and after another brutal setback on Friday night, he now finds himself on a three-fight losing skid for the first time in his professional career.

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Former UFC fighter Andrew Sanchez gets knocked out for the third straight fight

Sanchez won TUF 23 by beating Khalil Rountree Jr. in 2016. He went on to defeat the likes of Markus Perez, Trevor Smith, and Marc-Andre Barriault but was never able to really climb the rankings.

He had a similar struggle to reach the top in the PFL, the destination he landed in following his UFC release. After winning his debut, Sanchez was knocked out in back-to-back fights by Sadibou Sy and Impa Kasanganay.

14 months later, ‘El Dirte’ returned to the regional scene, fighting in the co-main event of Desert Force: Uncaged on Friday night in Jordan.

Sanchez was fighting in front of Mike Tyson and Renzo Gracie at the event, but he was unable to put on a show for the combat sports legends.

The former UFC star had his plans to bounce back spoiled by Mikhail Ragozin, who needed just 57 seconds to tear through him inside the cage.

The 38-year-old was dropped by a right hand and it didn’t take the referee long to intervene. After the stoppage, a dazed Sanchez continued to fall as he tried to return to his feet.

Sanchez is now 14-10 and on his worst run as a professional.

Ragozin, meanwhile, extended his record to 26-7 by emerging victorious against the ex-UFC star. He has lost just once since a defeat to Shara Magomedov in 2022.