Alan Sanchez grew up in California with a recreational background that included youth soccer, though competitive athletics never defined his early years. His path to the mats followed a trajectory familiar to many grapplers who discover the sport later in life — shaped by curiosity rather than tradition. During his teenage years, a growing fascination with mixed martial arts, and the UFC in particular, pulled him toward combat sports. Drawn to the spectacle and proven effectiveness of cage fighting, Sanchez sought a discipline that offered genuine self-defense utility and a record of success at the highest levels, without the inherent risks of striking-based systems.

Grappling answered that call. The combination of physical intensity, technical depth, and the conspicuous absence of punches to the face made jiu-jitsu an ideal entry point. In October 2014, at the age of 18, Sanchez stepped onto the mats for the first time at a 10th Planet affiliate gym in San Mateo, CA — the beginning of a competitive journey that would carry him to the upper echelons of no-gi submission grappling.

It was at that San Mateo gym that Sanchez first encountered coach Adam Sachnoff, widely known throughout the grappling community as "Big Red." Sachnoff became the central figure in Sanchez's development, guiding him through every stage of his progression — from white belt to black belt — providing a continuity of instruction that gave Sanchez a stable and coherent technical foundation.

That foundation was built within the 10th Planet system, a no-gi and submission-focused curriculum developed by Eddie Bravo that emphasizes unorthodox positional frameworks and intricate leg lock sequences. The system proved a natural fit for Sanchez's competitive instincts, particularly given the submission-only formats he would go on to excel in. In 2020, approximately six years after first stepping onto the mats, Sanchez received his black belt from Sachnoff — a promotion that reflected both his technical maturity and the trust forged between athlete and coach over years of consistent, focused training.

Sanchez has competed almost exclusively in no-gi grappling throughout his career, a choice rooted in his 10th Planet background and sharpened by competitive ambition. His results at the colored belt level foreshadowed what was to come — most notably, a gold medal at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in 2019 at brown belt, one of the most competitive no-gi events on the international calendar. He also collected IBJJF no-gi hardware at blue and brown belt across events in the United States and the United Kingdom, building a record that signaled sustained excellence rather than isolated results.

Black Belt Results and Submission-Only Success

After earning his black belt in 2020, Sanchez continued performing at a high level across both IBJJF no-gi events and submission-only competitions. He reached the final of the Emerald City Invitational in 2021 and placed second at the IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi that same year in the absolute division, demonstrating his versatility across weight classes and formats.

EBI Welterweight Title Reign

His most prominent achievement has come in the EBI welterweight division, where Sanchez has claimed the title twice, establishing himself as one of the most consistent and dangerous competitors in the weight class. The EBI format — submission-only, with overtime extensions built around back takes and escape sequences — rewards the precise, positionally-aware style that Sanchez has developed under the 10th Planet system.

In October 2025, Sanchez appeared on JitsCast #49, published by Jits Magazine, ahead of an attempt to capture a third EBI welterweight title — a pursuit that, if successful, would further cement his standing as the definitive force in the submission-only welterweight landscape.