Ultimate Fighting Championship On February 3, 2007, with a 1–0 promotional record, Sanchez faced
Mirko Cro Cop at
UFC 67. Sanchez lost via TKO due to punches at 4:33 of the first round, in Cro Cop's debut fight in the UFC. Average betting for this fight was around -1200 for Cro Cop and +800 for Eddie Sanchez, the biggest gap for underdog/favorite in UFC history. Sanchez defeated
Irish heavyweight Colin Robinson by TKO at
UFC 72. At
UFC 79, held on December 29, 2007, Sanchez defeated
Soa Palalei via TKO (strikes). Sanchez went on to lose to
Antoni Hardonk at
UFC 85 in London on June 7, 2008. Sanchez took the Hardonk fight on short notice, as a late replacement for Neil Wain. Sanchez was noticeably out of shape at the weigh in, but despite this, he knocked Hardonk down twice, once in the first round and once in the second, before succumbing to strikes at 4:15 in the second round. Sanchez next faced
Justin McCully at
UFC: Fight for the Troops on December 10, 2008, he lost the via unanimous decision and was released from the promotion.
Bellator Fighting Championships Sanchez debuted for Bellator at
Bellator 7, recording a ten-second knock out. His next Bellator bout was scheduled against Ralph Kelly at
Bellator 20. Kelly pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Wayne Cole. Cole then pulled out of the fight and was replaced by Marcus Sursa. Sanchez won via TKO in the third round. With this win, Eddie will take a spot in the third season heavyweight tournament.
Titan Fighting Championships Sanchez was scheduled to fight
Bobby Lashley at Titan Fighting Championships 19. But on July 22, it was announced that Lashley withdrew from the fight for personal reasons. Sanchez fought
Strikeforce veteran
Brett Rogers at Titan Fighting Championships 20. Sanchez won by split decision.
Independent promotions Sanchez then faced
Damian Grabowski at MMA Attack 2 on April 27, 2012. Sanchez was submitted via kimura at 2:02 in the second round. The following June, Sanchez faced future
Bellator Heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov at The Battle of Moscow 7. Sanchez was defeated in the first round via KO. After a long layoff, Sanchez eventually returned and faced Stjepan Bekavac at
FFC11: Jurković vs. Kaluđerović on April 4, 2014. Sanchez was knocked out in the first round, marking his third loss in a row. ==Championships and accomplishments==