UFC ironman Diego Sanchez takes stock of his fighting life

Diego Sanchez hasn’t won an Ultimate Fighting Championship belt, but there’s something to be said about his near 11-year active run in the organization that ranks second only to heavyweight Frank Mir’s endurance.

Sanchez, 34, returns to the octagon Saturday at UFC 196 in a lightweight fight against veteran Jim Miller.

The winner of the first “The Ultimate Fighter” reality television series in 2005 acknowledges the career dreams he had a decade ago have been altered by losses to men including former two-division champion B.J. Penn and even Ricardo Lamas in November, but a common theme remains in his mind.

“Never stop, never give up, never stop giving yourself the self-confidence you need to be a champion,” Sanchez said, noting the 2011 fight against Martin Kampmann he calls “the bloodiest in UFC history,” and fighting with “my eye hanging out” against Gilbert Melendez in 2013.

“You can see the love I have for the sport. Blood, cuts, spars … I love fighting. I’m going to do it for as long as I can.”

Sanchez said he’s appreciative for strides made in performance-enhancing drug testing in the sport.

“Thank you, Lord. I fought guys in the past that, I’m not saying they were on or off [PEDs], but it sure felt like they were on,” he said.

And Sanchez is also participating in a brain activity study he believes will ensure he’ll depart with his faculties intact.

“It’s something I’ll be an ambassador for,” Sanchez said.

He laughed at the equipment he receives now thanks to the UFC’s deal with Reebok, including fight apparel, a mouthpiece and underwear.

“We didn’t get stuff like that back then,” Sanchez said.

In the meantime, he said fighting on and remaining unbroken by defeats is something for which he’s pulled strength from his religious beliefs.

“We have hard times there in the cage, but I’ve been kept healthy,” Sanchez said. “When it’s time to hang up the gloves, I’ll know.

“I feel like I’m the UFC, a company man. I’m planning on getting an octagon tattoo after this fight. I feel like the octagon has been my life.”