UFC 135: Diego Sanchez talks to B/R About God, Marriage and GSP-Condit

No one has ever doubted the talent or heart of UFC Welterweight contender Diego Sanchez. He burst onto the UFC scene as the eccentric, undersized middleweight on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter. It was very apparent back then that the only thing that …

No one has ever doubted the talent or heart of UFC Welterweight contender Diego Sanchez. He burst onto the UFC scene as the eccentric, undersized middleweight on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter. It was very apparent back then that the only thing that could hold Sanchez back was Sanchez himself.

To say he was a little off would be putting it mildly. Upon closer inspection however, fans began to see a deeply religious man who had a true passion for the sport. Diego quickly wowed us with his talent, storming through the tournament on his way to defeating Kenny Florian in The Ultimate Fighter Finale, earning himself the six figure contract.

He had a perfect 11-0 record before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter and had just defeated Jorge Santiago for the King of the Cage Welterweight Championship in his last bout outside of the UFC. The sky was the limit for the Greg Jackson trained fighter who immediately made the drop to a more natural 170lbs shortly after defeating Florian.

He would go on to run his record to a perfect 17-0 before suffering back-to-back losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. In actuality, the trouble began after defeating Joe Riggs in December of 2006 as he tested positive for marijuana and was suspended for three months. He also suffered a huge scare when it was thought that he had contracted Hepatitis C before his bout with Koscheck. Thankfully, it was only a severe staph infection, but it certainly hindered his performance against his former housemate.

He then dropped down to lightweight and moved to San Diego where he would train with Saulo and Xande Ribeiro. He left the Jackson camp due to the arrival of welterweight stalwart Georges St. Pierre. The drop down to 155lbs wasn’t all bad as he defeated Joey Stevenson and Clay Guida to earn a shot at B.J. Penn’s lightweight title at UFC 107. Sanchez was beaten to a pulp until the bout was halted in the fifth round due to a huge cut on his forehead. Sanchez once again decided to change weight classes, this time moving back up to welterweight.

The Diego Sanchez that fights today is not very similar to the Diego Sanchez who first came to the UFC in 2005. He has begun to make the right decisions based upon what is best for his career rather than based on his emotions. For one, he has found his way back to the Jackson camp and has changed his nickname from the “Nightmare” to the “Dream.” At 29-years-old, he is in his physical prime and knows what he has to do to make the climb towards welterweight supremacy.

“It’s been a long road for me, with a lot of ups and downs,” Sanchez told Bleacher Report. “Thankfully there have been more ups than there have been downs. For me, what brings me down has only made me stronger because of it.”

Sanchez has never tried to hide the fact that he had a deep faith in God and displays that during his entrance to the Octagon as well as in his post-fight interviews. People who are that strong spiritually truly believe that all their blessings are due to their faith in God. It is a powerful ally to have on your side and Sanchez is truly grateful for the opportunity to live out his dream

“I’m 29-years-old, I just got married,” said Sanchez. “I have totally changed my lifestyle from where I was always going out and partying and living the life of a bachelor. That didn’t get me where I wanted to be, I found a great woman, and God blessed me with an amazing woman. I totally changed my life and rededicated it to Jesus Christ. This time I am not just talking the talk, but I am also walking the walk. I live for God and my family.”

Making his way back to Greg Jackson was probably the third best decision Sanchez made behind marrying his wife and putting his life back into the hands of Jesus Christ. No matter whom his opponent may be, Sanchez knows that he will be able to find the appropriate training partners at Jackson’s camp. He knows the talent is so deep that if he can survive practice, then he can survive anyone the UFC puts in front of him.

“I am in the best training camp with the best training partners,” offered Sanchez. “I’m actually hanging out with Jon Jones right now; we spar every Tuesday and Thursday. He may fight two weight classes higher than I do, but we get our rounds in. I have the most amazing training camp and coaches. I know if I come in healthy and dedicated, I have a great team willing to do whatever is necessary to make me a better fighter.

Coming back to Jackson was my destiny. I had hit a real low and God humbled me. I had to come back home to my family, New Mexico and to where the people who truly love me were at. Greg had always had an open door for me and as soon as I came back Greg was waiting for me with a great big old hug and said to me it’s about time, it’s about time.

I love being here, the energy, the culture, the mountains, the lightning storms, I love it all. I want to show my fans what happens when you are focused and what God will do for you if you are walking the narrow path.”

Although Sanchez will no longer be fighting Matt Hughes this coming Saturday, he still had some nice things to say about the nine-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Sanchez understands just what Hughes has meant to the UFC and the sport as a whole. That being said, don’t mistake Sanchez’s respect for anything other than that, in his mind he is capable of beating Hughes at anytime.

“I have a ton of respect for Matt,” Sanchez pointed out. “He is a very blessed and naturally gifted fighter. I feel in my heart that I am more of a warrior than Hughes. I have more fight inside of me and I feel as though I have what it takes to have a dominant win over him.”

Sanchez has won his last two fights against Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann, earning a Fight of the Night bonus in both of them. When he entered the Octagon against Kampmann, he did not look like the Diego Sanchez we had become accustomed to seeing fight over the years. He was bloated and even had love handles that exceeded over his shorts.

“I was thankful for the fight with Kampmann,” Sanchez said excitedly. “I was thankful for the cuts, I was thankful because I found something inside of my heart that I knew was there, but I had never tapped into it. I found this warrior’s spirit, an old school warrior within me. I was prepared to put it all on the line, I didn’t care that I was bleeding out of five different places on my face, I didn’t care.

I had no worry about him knocking me out. All I had on my mind was that I was gunning for him and I was going to take him out. A switch went off in my head and I learned how to fight differently. I was able to tap into a different part of me. For the longest time I would only focus on either BJJ [Brazilian Jiu Jitsu] or wrestling. Now I train full mixed martial arts.”

Two of the fighters who train with Greg Jackson are current UFC No. 1 Welterweight contender Carlos Condit and the man he will face at UFC 137 for his title, Georges St. Pierre. The old Sanchez may have had a problem sharing a camp with two other top welterweights, but today he realizes the advantages that come along with having such a solid stable of fighters.

“I am the smallest guy there,” said Sanchez. “I fight every single day with nothing but middleweights, light heavyweights and heavyweights. Some of these training sessions have become legendary. It’s basically ‘Diego & Goliath’ when I am in there fighting these guys who are much bigger than I am. I go in there and fight with all my heart; it makes me stronger and much more confident.”

Although Sanchez sees having other top fighters in his division as a benefit, there has to be some thought in the back of his mind that he may have to do battle with one of them in the future. As we have seen with Jones and Rashad Evans, fighting a teammate doesn’t always have a happy ending.

“Let me clear this up real quick. GSP is not a part of my team, he is a part of Tri-Star,” Sanchez said clearly. “Greg is more of an adviser to GSP; he may be here one week out of the year. When he’s here, he doesn’t train with me or Condit. Greg has come up with a game plan should teammates have to fight one another.

We will split training partners and take it from there. Carlos and I have said we will cross that bridge when we come to it. There are too many good fighters at 170 that I have yet to fight. I would like rematches with Fitch and Koscheck. It’s all in the hands of the UFC, they are going to make matches that sell. I wish nothing but the best for Carlos, if we have to fight then so be it, but that’s a long way off right now.”

There is one thing that Sanchez really has his mind on and that’s to be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. He had lobbied the UFC for a spot opposite Nick Diaz before they made the GSP-Diaz fight. Sanchez and Diaz have a history together, which led to Sanchez defeating Diaz by unanimous decision back in November of 2005. There truly is no love lost between the two.

“I was the original Ultimate Fighter,” Sanchez said proudly. “I want it, I was the first one to win it and I have given the UFC so many great fights. I had three fights that were in the top-12 all time fights and that doesn’t include the Kampmann fight which could be Fight of the Year this year. I feel as though I have paid my dues with Zuffa. I know Diaz very well and we do have a history together. We would have great energy as coaches. We have had some beef, but we would go in there and let it all hang out.

I have a total trust in God. I want to continue to get better and continue to train. I want to stay in the dream and try and get my body weight up so I won’t be at such a disadvantage when I fight these monster welterweights that are out there. I am gaining a lot of strength by fighting against guys who are bigger than I am in the gym.

I have two great wrestling partners in Derrick Brooks and Willie Parks, these guys are national champions and have helped me grow as a fighter in so many ways. I may be getting a little older, but I am 29-years-old and in my prime. I got my head screwed on right and am back where I belong with Greg Jackson, at home in New Mexico.”

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UFC Fight Night 25: Get off the Jake Shields Bandwagon

Enough is enough already. There are way too many people who are jumping all over Jake Shields because, God Forbid, he has lost two fights in a row. Never mind the fact that he won his previous 15 fights over a course of five years. During his 12-year c…

Enough is enough already. There are way too many people who are jumping all over Jake Shields because, God Forbid, he has lost two fights in a row. Never mind the fact that he won his previous 15 fights over a course of five years.

During his 12-year career Shields has defeated current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, current UFC No.1 Welterweight Contender Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Robbie Lawler, Martin Kampmann, Dave Menne, Mike Pyle, Nick Thompson, Jason Miller, Paul Daley and Hayato Sakurai. Not bad for a fighter with limited standup, and for someone considered an undersized middleweight.

There is no theory stating that because he achieved his success outside the UFC that it doesn’t mean as much. A win over Dan Henderson means a hell of a lot no matter what organization they fought in. Same thing can be said for many of his other victims. No one has ever accused Shields of being the most exciting fighter, but much more often than not, he was able to get the job done, no matter how high the odds were stacked against him.

Is it his fault that the UFC sold him as a World Beater who was going to be Georges St. Pierre’s toughest test ever? No, it was the UFC marketing machine doing what they do best when it comes to selling a fight. He may not have defeated GSP, but he did become the first fighter to win a round from him in a very long time.

People will actually point to his UFC debut against the always tough Kampmann. I don’t care who you are, but Kampmann is a tough first opponent for anyone. Combine a tough weight cut along with the nerves that come along with making your first trip inside the Octagon and it’s easy to see why he had a difficult time with Kampmann.

Going into his fight with Jake Ellenberger, a lot of people felt that this was a pitfall for Shields. He had nothing to gain but everything to lose against a fighter who was outside the top 10. Then with just three weeks left before the fight, Shields lost his father, best friend and manager all in one shot when Jack Shields passed away on August 29. Shields decided that his father would’ve wanted him to fight, but that in no way, shape or form means that he was able to block out the pain and not miss having his father in his corner come fight time.

Ellenberger is a very good fighter and is a force to be reckoned with, but Shields face said it all last night. He wasn’t all there and is probably regretting his decision to be a good company man and soldiering on despite carrying such a heavy heart. I would make these same excuses for any fighter under the same circumstances, doesn’t matter whether I liked them or not. If you’re a human being then it’s impossible not to be affected when suffering such a dramatic loss, especially when you are a fighter.

There are way too many of you who are either unfamiliar with Shields’ career or maybe you have yet to suffer a loss of that magnitude. Stop jumping on the bandwagon and form your own opinion. It is so apparent that too many writers are using the same cookie cutter article when it comes to Jake Shields. We are all grown men and there is no need to for any of us to borrow someone else’s opinion and change a few words to come up with a column.

Do the right thing and formulate your own opinions and write your own thoughts, it will get you much further and help expand your horizons a great deal.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 25: Who’s On The Hot Seat

It’s been while since I’ve written this column. For those of you who are unfamiliar with how this works, I’ll explain it to you in very short and simple terms. I will go over the entire card and choose the fighters who I feel could lose their jobs shou…

It’s been while since I’ve written this column. For those of you who are unfamiliar with how this works, I’ll explain it to you in very short and simple terms. I will go over the entire card and choose the fighters who I feel could lose their jobs should they lose tonight.

This is the first time I have done this for anything other than a standard UFC pay-per-view, but I figured I could use the practice. The event is full of young, inexperienced (As far as the UFC is concerned) fighters who are either receiving their first shot in the Octagon or at the very least their second opportunity.

Sometimes a fighter can lose, but when they lay it all out on the line, UFC President will given them another chance. He is willing to reward those who would rather put on an exciting fight rather than play it safe just to get a win.

So without further delay, let’s take a look at “Who’s on the Hot Seat.”

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UFC Fight Night 25: Robbie Peralta Knows Tomorrow Isn’t Guaranteed

Robbie Peralta looks at his UFC debut this Saturday night as a once in a lifetime opportunity. He realizes that a loss will almost certainly send him back down the ladder he has fighting so hard to climb since making his MMA debut in March of 2007. Hav…

Robbie Peralta looks at his UFC debut this Saturday night as a once in a lifetime opportunity. He realizes that a loss will almost certainly send him back down the ladder he has fighting so hard to climb since making his MMA debut in March of 2007.

Having fought predominately for MMAX, an organization that runs its events in South America, and the California based Gladiator Challenge, Peralta has amassed an impressive 14-3 record. 11 of those wins have come by knockout, two by submission and one by decision.

His last loss came over two years ago against Landon Piercy via submission. Since then he has reeled off seven straight wins including what has to be his biggest win to date against Hiroyuki Takaya. The two met on Strikeforce: Daley vs. Diaz card back in April.

The win against Takaya was made more impressive considering the roll Takaya had been on going into his matchup with Peralta. He had defeated both Joachim Hansen and Chase Beebe by knockout and followed those two wins up with a decision win against Bibiano Fernandes on the annual New Year’s Eve card in Japan.

Beating a tough opponent like Takaya on a bigger stage will only help Peralta as he prepares to face Mike Lullo in New Orleans at UFC Fight Night. Although their bout is not scheduled to be televised, Peralta knows what an impressive win will do for his career.

“I’m sure the win I got over Takaya got my name out there,” Peralta told Bleacher Report. “Jeff Clark, who is my manager along with my trainers have been pushing me hard to get to the next level. The opportunity came up and I jumped at the chance. I was stoked and realized that this was something you just don’t pass up. You never know when and if you will ever get a chance like this again.”

Knowing that a loss can hurt him just as much as a win can, Peralta and his team have thrown it into high gear since getting the call to replace Mackens Sermeizer. The UFC is notorious for rewarding fighters who come to fight and are just as well known for cutting guys who don’t perform according to their standards. Peralta knows what he is capable of and is ready to show what he can do.

“The UFC signed to a one fight deal, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, but if I win and do well I’m sure other opportunities will arise, “Peralta said. “I am in no way looking past this fight or Lullo, but I am hoping to come out of this fight in shape to earn a long term contract.”

While most first time UFC fighters come into the octagon with pre-fight jitters and butterflies, Peralta feels as though fighting for Strikeforce against a high profile opponent such as Takaya has given him a little taste of what to expect come Saturday night.

“Fighting in front of my hometown fans in San Diego felt good,” said Peralta excitedly. “Getting the win made it even more special. I train with Xplode MMA which is not too far from where the fight was held. In that respect I felt a little at ease having so much support, but I know Saturday night will be a whole new ball game once my name is called.”

Everyone loves the knockout. They are exciting and can change the way a fight is going all in one punch, but not every fighter has one shot knockout power. Peralta as a matter of fact would rather punish his opponents a little bit before finishing them off.

“I am definitely more of a punisher,” said Peralta. “I like to knock them down and hurt them until the referee pushes me off. I enjoy utilizing my ground and pound.”

Peralta is not your everyday mixed martial artist. He didn’t wrestle in high school and college, he never took any boxing or kickboxing lessons, but he fell in love with the sport the first day he decided to try his hand at it.

“I never wrestled, actually the only thing I did was Tae-Kwon-Do, which I have a black belt in,” Peralta explained. “That’s the grand sum of my MMA background. I was always getting into fights when I was younger so I figured why not get paid for it?”

Where Peralta ends up won’t be determined until he finishes his fight with Lullo on Saturday night. Fortunately for him, Lullo is just as inexperienced as he is when it comes to fighting on a bigger show. Lullo lost his one and only UFC bout to Edson Barboza via TKO (Leg Kicks) at UFC 123 in November. None of that concerns Peralta as he has his mind on becoming a permanent fixture in the UFC Featherweight division.

“Fans can expect me to go with the flow and I will make it exciting no matter where it goes,” Peralta assured Bleacher Report. “I am hoping to make my way up the ladder in the UFC and one day getting close to a championship fight. It’s all about taking it one fight at a time.

“I’ve gotten as far as I have with hard work and the help of some very important people. I can’t thank my manager Jeff Clark enough for being there for me. My trainer Johnny Hughes pushes me to be my best; I couldn’t train without the help of my sponsors, TapouT, RevBrew and all of my training partners at Xplode MMA.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

With the UFC Behind Him; Ben Saunders Sees a Bright Future with Bellator

It was a little less than 18 months ago that Ben Saunders stepped up to the plate to try and help bail the UFC out of a serious problem. UFC 111 was set to go off in just a few days when word came down that Saunders’ teammate at American Top Team, Thia…

It was a little less than 18 months ago that Ben Saunders stepped up to the plate to try and help bail the UFC out of a serious problem. UFC 111 was set to go off in just a few days when word came down that Saunders’ teammate at American Top Team, Thiago Alves, had been declared unfit to fight due to some abnormalities that had shown up during a brain scan.

UFC 111 was an important card for the organization as it was being held in New Jersey, right outside New York City, which the UFC has been unable to infiltrate to this date. Alves was scheduled to face fellow top contender Jon Fitch in a welterweight showdown and rematch that could possibly determine who would face the winner of the card’s main event.

The UFC Welterweight Champion was putting his title on the line against the charismatic Dan Hardy, and a convincing win by either Fitch or Alves could land them the winner and another shot at the championship. Now Fitch was left without an opponent, Alves career was in jeopardy and the UFC was about to lose one of its main card fights. In steps Saunders with a move that was sure to make UFC President Dana White proud.

Saunders forgot his bout with Jake Ellenberger in order to face Fitch in a fight that he would be considered a heavy underdog, but he showed balls and initiative, something White would surely appreciate. Unfortunately Saunders lost via unanimous decision, but one would think he would have built up some goodwill within the UFC.

Saunders followed up that loss with another unanimous decision loss to Dennis Hallman at UFC 117, which by the way is where Fitch and Alves finally met once again after having their fight canceled on two separate occasions. Not long after that loss to Hallman, Saunders received his release from the UFC in a move that somewhat shocked people. Yes, it was his second loss in a row, but shouldn’t he be given a little slack for the Fitch loss?

Now Saunders is set to take on Chris Cineros in the Bellator welterweight tournament which begins this Saturday night. Having no regrets and feeling no ill will towards the UFC, Saunders is happy to be fighting again and is excited for the opportunity that Bellator has provided him. Now it’s time for him to show the world what type of fighter he can be and what the UFC is possibly missing out on. He also has an interesting take on the whole tournament format.

“To be honest with you the way I look at the tournament it seems to be a more structured Ultimate Fighter,” Saunders explained to Bleacher Report. “The biggest difference is that TUF was spread out over 6-8 weeks while Bellator plays out over a span of three months. Also, the level of fighters who participate on The Ultimate Fighter aren’t the same caliber of the Bellator fighters.

“I really like the fact that there is an opportunity offered where I could possibly fight three times in as many months. That’s damn near impossible in this day and age of Mixed Martial Arts. You’re lucky if you get three fights a year with the UFC, just due to the size and talent their rosters hold.”

With other fighters like Dan Hornbuckle and Douglas Lima, who are also trained by American Top Team, Saunders has to be considered one of the favorites going into the tournament. Although Cineros doesn’t carry a big name, “Killa-B” realizes he is certainly capable of carrying a mighty big stick.

“I really don’t know much about him other than he has some pro boxing and pro kickboxing in his background,” Saunders said. “I believe his MMA record is 11-3, he fights out of Hawaii so you know he’s coming to fight. I’ve heard he has a lot of heart and a lot of passion, but for me I train for anyone and everyone, I try and improve my whole game when preparing for a fight.”

Saunders looks at the talent-laden roster that comprises the welterweight tournament and sees a mixed bag of talented fighters. While he likes to feel confident, he knows not to take anything too seriously. Even though some people have picked him to win, he learned a long time ago not to let the positive get him too high or the negative get him too low.

“Some people have chosen me, others have picked Hornbuckle and then there is Douglas Lima who is also the MFC champion,” explained Saunders. “The “Handler and Lima are teammates of mine and we all decided that if we had to fight we would do it and shake hands afterwards, this is what we get paid to do.

“At the end of the day I would hope that I would win, but do it without injuring either fighter. That would make it not worthwhile; I would never want to hurt any other fighter especially a teammate. We punch each other in the face everyday we might as well get paid to do it.”

As witnessed in his last two UFC fights, it was very evident that Saunders’ main Achilles Heel was his wrestling. Fitch took him down at will, and Hallman didn’t seem to have very many problems either. American Top Team has taken the initiative to recruit top-flight wrestlers to their camp with the hopes of not only developing some great fighters, but also to help their own fighters strengthen themselves in that department.

“The second I got back from the loss to Hallman I was back in camp working on my wrestling,” Saunders said matter-of-factly. “I always felt like I had a good base for wrestling, but never had to utilize it all that much. So when it came time to recall the training and put it into a real life situation I was unable to do it. I became overaggressive and put myself into some bad positions against some high level wrestlers.”

The big news recently has been the UFC jumping over to Fox, FX and Fuel which now leaves Spike TV without an MMA partner. The casual fan more than likely thinks of Spike when they think of MMA so it would make sense to see Bellator make the move to Spike and leave MTV2, which like Spike, is owned by Viacom.

“Right now the only thing I have heard is that they are both owned by Viacom and that some Spike TV officials have been showing up at our events,” said Saunders. “It would seem like the smart move to take Bellator over to Spike. We could then be offered in HD as well as become available to so many more households. For the fighters it would mean more money especially in sponsorship dollars. It would be a win-win all the way around.”

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UFC on Versus 4 Aftermath: What’s Next for Winners and Losers of the Main Card

For a show that went through so many changes, both early on and last-minute, UFC on Versus 4 delivered some exciting fights. I don’t think anyone will forget the thunderous punch that Kongo landed while he was pretty much out on his feet to put Pat Bar…

For a show that went through so many changes, both early on and last-minute, UFC on Versus 4 delivered some exciting fights. I don’t think anyone will forget the thunderous punch that Kongo landed while he was pretty much out on his feet to put Pat Barry to sleep.

Charlie Brenneman defeating Rick Story in front of his hometown fans and Matt Mitrione continuing his surprising ascension up the ladder of the UFC heavyweight division were just two of the compounding stories that came out of Pittsburgh, PA.

Being a fan of Matt Brown, it was nice to see him snap his three-fight losing streak and earn another fight in the UFC. His record may not be pretty, but Brown comes to fight and Dana White is a big fan of guys like him. John Howard suffered his third loss in a row and he will more than likely be sent packing; it’s not like he’s getting beaten to a pulp, but a loss is a loss.

I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus because of work and family obligations, but I am back and ready to see where these guys are headed next.

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