Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Odds: ( -200 Sanchez / +160 Hathaway )
In the opening bout of the evening, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez will make his return to the Welterweight division to face off with undefeated British prospect John “The Hitman” Hathaway. Sanchez briefly dropped down to Lightweight, but was completely lambasted in his last fight by BJ Penn, and he is going to have his hands full in his first fight back at 170 with the versatile and dangerous Hathaway.
John Hathaway is not the most famous or flashy of the recent wave of British fighters in the UFC, but he is one of the most effective. While lacking the over the top personality that helped make Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, and others household names, Hathaway has quietly assembled an unblemished professional record of 12-0, mainly with his fierce striking, solid takedowns, and vicious ground and pound. He hasn’t shown much of his submission game, but he is competent on the ground if not world-class. He will almost definitely enter this fight with an advantage in the striking department and a disadvantage on the ground, so if he wants to keep his momentum he is going to need to try and keep this fight vertical.
Diego Sanchez is also a very versatile fighter, with solid wrestling and submissions, a smothering top game, and one of the most aggressive styles in the UFC. Many felt that a drop to 155 would help him break through to the very top level of the sport, but instead he looked underwhelming and like he lost a step when he cut weight. Hopefully a return to Welterweight will also be a return to form for Sanchez, who has the tools to put a quick halt to Hathaway’s winning streak with his superior wrestling and ground game.
Hathaway is a very tough fighter with a bright future ahead of him, but I think Sanchez is too much for him at this point in his career. Sanchez represents a huge step up in competition for Hathaway, especially in terms of the wrestling and grappling games. I expect Sanchez to control this one with clinch work, wrestling, and ground and pound for a lopsided unanimous decision.
Prediction: Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez via unanimous decision.
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