Diego Sanchez – Photo via UFC.com
Last week UFC fighter Diego ‘The Dream’ Sanchez (23-5) announced on Twitter (@DiegoSanchezUFC) his return to the lightweight division following a two-and-a-half year run at welterweight where he went 2-2 with three “Fight of the Night” bonuses.
On Monday, Sanchez spoke to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani about his decision to move back to 155-lbs, feeling that with bigger fighters dropping down to welterweight, that it only makes sense for him to do the same where his larger frame will provide him with more leverage, strength and speed.
“It makes sense,” he said. “I went over it with Greg Jackson and my coaches, and, it just makes sense. Everyone’s dropping weight. When I saw [Nate] Marquardt fight at 170, I was like, this guy’s a monster. He’s huge, he’s strong, he’s in shape. I’m just not that physically big, so I was like, I better do what I have to do, get down to 155, be where I’m going to have the most leverage, strength, speed, the best technique. And also on top of that have less injuries training with smaller guys, less weight, less load on the knees. Its a smarter decision toward the end of my career.”
Asked the obligatory “who do you want to fight” question, Diaz said a bout with Nate Diaz appeals to him for all the right reasons.
“The UFC’s smart,” he said. They’ll capitalize on my entertainment and what I bring to the table and what I bring to the cage, and that’s a raw, exciting warrior mentality. So, matched up with any of those guys [at 155], the guy I want the most is Nate Diaz. If he wants to scrap, I know he’s knocking at the door of a title shot, so, I have all the respect for him in that area. So, you know, if things don’t work out with the timing, he’s the one that I’d like to fight, because I love them Diaz boys. They’re two of my favorite fighters, they come and they bring it and they scrap, and I love it. That’s fighting, to me.”
Sanchez was last in action at 155-lbs back in December 2009 when he lost a title match to former champion BJ Penn at UFC 107.