Diego Sanchez took on Takanori Gomi on Saturday’s UFC on Fuel 8 fight card, and let’s just say the end result was not what we have come to expect from a Diego Sanchez fight.
True, we got to see one of the most impressive pre-fight scowls this side of the 209 as Sanchez stared Gomi down before the signal came for the fight to begin, but once that fight was underway, it was not really the Sanchez we have all come to love watching in the Octagon.
After Sanchez’s performance—a winning effort via split decision, I might add—out came the knives.
If you think those barbs were directed at Sanchez, you would be way off base. Nope, the man responsible for Sanchez’s performance, was none other than the “sport killer” himself Greg Jackson, or so the Internet would tell you.
One of the biggest names to offer up that opinion was Chris Leben, who tweeted, “@DiegoSanchezUFC what happened?! You used to move straight forward and crush guys. Too much Greg Jackson i think”.
If you’re thinking that maybe Leben forgot his stinker of a fight against Derek Brunson at UFC 155 before posting that tweet, I’m with you, but you also know that it’s hard for many to resist the chance to take a shot at Jackson.
Sure, some of Jackson’s fighters do game plan the nth degree and come out and just concentrate on the win, but by the same token when was the last time that Jackson fighters Jon Jones, Leonard Garcia, Donald Cerrone or Carlos Condit (Nick Diaz fight excepted) have delivered a snoozefest?
Let’s not forget that Sanchez entered this fight coming off three “Fight of the Night” performances prior to the Gomi bout.
I know it’s the hip thing to do to blame Jackson, all the kids are doing it, but c’mon, can we just stop? It’s getting a little old, and while in some cases the finger pointers may have a case, blaming Jackson for “The Dream’s” performance in Japan is off base.
Here’s why.
On Saturday Sanchez was fighting for the first time at lightweight since 2009. Well, he was supposed to be fighting at lightweight, but he missed weight and that’s why we need to place the blame on Sanchez here, not Jackson.
On February 27 Sanchez tweeted that he had checked in at 164.2, a mere 8.2 pounds over the lightweight limit.
From there it should have been a walk in the park for Sanchez. Instead, a few days later he was tweeted that he was in at 165, heavier than his previous tweet. But he also added a new wrinkle, revealing an injury and that he had cut 50 pounds to get to the lightweight limit.
When Sanchez finally stepped on the scale he was in at 158. It’s hard to fathom what went wrong between February 27 and March 3, but something obviously did and Sanchez even admitted to these things via twitter. Still, the blame gets placed on Jackson. Stunning.
But hey, why actually analyze the situation for what it is?
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