After suffering a loss to B.J. Penn in a lightweight title fight in December 2009, Diego Sanchez split wins and losses in four straight decisions at welterweight. Though Sanchez performed respectably in his return to the 170-pound division, he recently acknowledged the fact that he might find more success at lightweight.
In announcing that a return to lightweight could be in his near future, Sanchez stated that he would be interested in a bout against former WEC champion Anthony Pettis. However, coming off of a spectacular knockout win over Joe Lauzon, Pettis is probably deserving of an opponent who is closer to a shot at the 155-pound belt than Sanchez, who lost against Jake Ellenberger in his most recent appearance.
Should Sanchez compete at lightweight in his next trip to the Octagon, here are five potential opponents for the original The Ultimate Fighter winner who would make more sense than Pettis.