The UFC makes its event debut on Fuel TV with a special Wednesday event that will be headlined by Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger.
Sanchez has not fought since his memorable bout with Martin Kampmann last March. He suffered a broken hand last summer that forced him on the shelf, but he is back and ready to run his winning streak to three fights.
Ellenberger comes into this fight with a lot of momentum. He has won five straight fights, including two consecutive knockouts of Jake Shields and Sean Pierson. He could be in line for a title shot in the not-too-distant future with another impressive performance.
Where: Omaha Civic Center in Omaha, NE
When: Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
Watch: Preliminary fights start at 6:20 p.m. EDT on Facebook; main card airs on Fuel at 8:00 p.m. EDT
FIGHT CARD
Main Card on Fuel TV
Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger
Heavyweight bout: Stefan Struve vs. Dave Herman
Middleweight bout: Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes
Heavyweight bout: Stipe Miocic vs. Philip De Fries
Bantamweight bout: T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson
Preliminary Card on Facebook
Bantamweight bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. John Albert
Featherweight bout: Jonathan Brookins vs. Vagner Rocha
Middleweight bout: Buddy Roberts vs. Sean Loeffler
Lightweight bout: Anton Kuivanen vs. Justin Salas
Lightweight bout: Tim Means vs. Bernardo Magalhaes
Sanchez’s Keys to Victory
Take Ellenberger’s first punch and wear him down over the course of the fight.
Sanchez’s best skill is his wrestling and grappling, but he has gotten better as a striker over the last few years. He has a strong chin, and has shown the ability to take an opponent’s best shot without getting knocked out.
Ellenberger is going to dictate the pace, so it is on Sanchez to respond accordingly. He will have to hope that he can frustrate his opponent before trying a takedown.
It’s hard to see him knocking out Ellenberger, so he will have to use his effective striking to set up his wrestling in the later rounds.
Ellenberger’s Keys to Victory
Use his stand-up skills to pepper Sanchez with punches, and use wrestling background to defend takedowns.
Ellenberger wants to keep the fight standing, because he has good power in his striking and can knock Sanchez out with one good punch.
He has a great wrestling background, and can use that to stop Sanchez from getting takedowns or go to the ground and unleash a vicious ground and pound assault.
What They Are Saying
In an interview with USA Today, Diego Sanchez said that he likes the idea of going into Ellenberger’s hometown.
I like the idea of fighting him. … It’s just very interesting. I’m just excited (about) how it’s going to play out.
I know that I have a lot of fans that have been following me for eight years. Those people have followed me and I’ve given them some good fights. They honor me because of those good fights. Regardless of being in Jake’s hometown or not, I know that I’m going to have some fans out there in the crowd.
Sanchez has never been short on confidence, but he will have to be on top of his game if he wants to hang with Ellenberger.
Undercard Fight to Watch: Jonathan Brookins vs. Vagner Rocha
Both of these fighters make their living with their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submissions. They can use striking if absolutely necessary, but they are going to work the fight to the ground and try to make the other tap.
Rocha has shown a lot of toughness in his short UFC career. He went the distance against Donald Cerrone in their fight last June, which is no easy task. That bout showed how good his submission defense is.
Brookins is a former Ultimate Fighter champion and will look to get back on track after losing his last fight.
Main Event Prediction
As much fun as Sanchez is to watch, and as entertaining as he can be, this is Ellenberger’s fight to lose. He is younger, faster and stronger than Sanchez, and has shown the ability to knock out some of the top wrestlers in the world.
Ellenberger wins via unanimous decision.
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