Tag: Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez Aiming to Return in Lightweight Bout at UFC 164, Opponent TBA

Coming off a successful return to the lightweight division, Diego Sanchez is expected to re-enter the Octagon at UFC 164 later this year.According to MMA Junkie, Sanchez confirmed the event for his next bout, although he still needs an opponent:
“I tal…

Coming off a successful return to the lightweight division, Diego Sanchez is expected to re-enter the Octagon at UFC 164 later this year.

According to MMA Junkie, Sanchez confirmed the event for his next bout, although he still needs an opponent:

“I talked to [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva yesterday, and he penciled me in for Aug. 31,” Sanchez said.

“We’re looking at opponents. I did like I always do and said, ‘Look, you’re the man, Joe. You’re the one who makes all these big matchups. And I’m, in my opinion, in the most stacked division in the UFC, and there are plenty of great fights out there, and you’ll hook me up with a good scrap.'”

Sanchez was last seen in action at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan last March, where the Greg Jackson MMA team member outpointed Takanori Gomi in a controversial split decision win.

Although Gomi landed more total strikes (81-to-68 via FightMetric), Sanchez earned a pair of takedowns to win two of the judge’s scorecards.

Currently, there’s a wealth of UFC lightweights available who don’t have a scheduled fight.

Assuming that Sanchez is paired up with someone coming off a win, that would include Josh Thomson, Pat Healy, Jorge Masvidal, undefeated Myles Jury, Ross Pearson, Jamie Varner and Rustam Khabilov, just to name a few likely candidates.

Additionally, Gilbert Melendez, Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, Joe Lauzon and Matt Wiman are also waiting for opponents while recovering from losses.

UFC 164 is rumored to be heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, Aug. 31, as part of a 110th anniversary celebration of Harley-Davidson, a long-term business sponsor of the UFC (via MMA Weekly).

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10 Most Emotional Fighters in the UFC

Because MMA constantly invokes emotions of every variety, fighters who intend to optimize their skills in the UFC’s Octagon must keep their visceral feelings in check. Strong fighters use potent emotions to realize their potential while …

Because MMA constantly invokes emotions of every variety, fighters who intend to optimize their skills in the UFC’s Octagon must keep their visceral feelings in check.

Strong fighters use potent emotions to realize their potential while the weak allow the same powerful feelings to hinder their development.

Of the 385 fighters signed to the UFC, none can avoid dealing with the highs and lows that accompany emotional health. The fighters who best learn to cope with their passions make it to the top, and the ones who don’t, sell themselves short.

For their own good or to their detriment, here are the 10 most emotional fighters in the UFC.

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UFC: Diego Sanchez vs. Nate Diaz Head-to-Toe Breakdown

When Diego Sanchez called out Nate Diaz on Twitter, for those who remember the epic fight Sanchez had with the elder Diaz, Nick, it instantly seemed like an excellent fight. After a little time has passed, those feelings remain. Diego Sanchez is one of…

When Diego Sanchez called out Nate Diaz on Twitter, for those who remember the epic fight Sanchez had with the elder Diaz, Nick, it instantly seemed like an excellent fight.

After a little time has passed, those feelings remain.

Diego Sanchez is one of the few men in the lightweight division who is capable of matching the bravado and aggression of Nate; in his fight with Nick, the action was nearly nonstop and was one of the better fights of the year.

Now, with Sanchez coming off a controversial win over Takanori Gomi and Nate looking to rebound from his loss to Benson Henderson, both men would be hungry to make a statement at the cost of the other.

Not only is this an interesting clash of personalities, but styles as well; like his older brother, Nick loves to stand and trade, while Sanchez is all about the business of getting the fight to the ground and finishing it there.

So, should this fight actually be finalized, who would win such a bout?

It’s a hard fight to predict given just how aggressive both men can be; this is a fight that will no doubt be flying all over the octagon, with both men enjoying moments of success.

That being said, we can still do our best to find order in that beautiful chaos, and in doing so, we might get some idea as to who has the upper hand.

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Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez: What Went Right for Sanchez

In many people’s eyes, bad judging is the only thing that went right for Diego Sanchez in his controversial split decision win over Takanori Gomi at UFC on Fuel 8 last Saturday.  Some are already calling it a “robbery.” G…

In many people’s eyes, bad judging is the only thing that went right for Diego Sanchez in his controversial split decision win over Takanori Gomi at UFC on Fuel 8 last Saturday. 

Some are already calling it a “robbery.”

Gomi was fighting in his home country of Japan, but the judge’s still failed to see that Gomi won every round of that contest, giving it to Sanchez 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.

The only thing Sanchez really did right, was stay on his feet. Considering trends in MMA judging lately, that alone seems to count for a lot. 

The fight started with Gomi in the centre of the cage, and for much of the fight, that’s where he stayed.

In a lesson in using your jab effectively, one Stefan Struve should have heeded ahead of his KO loss to the diminutive Mark Hunt later in the night, Gomi was quick to establish his range and began peppering his opponent with shots. 

For much of the first round, Sanchez was left circling away—desperately searching for an opening against his opponent. But every time he drew near to strike, he was repeatedly beaten to the punch by his opponent. 

Gomi, for his part, was able to do little damage. Sanchez’s strategy—which some are already blaming on coach Greg Jackson—left enough ambiguity after the first round, that it could (at a stretch) have gone either way. 

By the second round, this strategy quickly looked to be failing. Gomi again took the centre of the cage and Sanchez spent more of his time circling around his opponent, unable to find a way in. 

For all watching, this was a different Sanchez than the one who had gone in like a maniac in his Fight of the Night performances against Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger in his previous two matches. 

Perhaps the toll of the weight-cut, which he missed anyway after returning to lightweight for the first time in years, had taken something out of him.

By the third round, his corner imploring him to grab a takedown to steal the match, Sanchez looked to increase the tempo and close the distance. But this proved completely ineffective. 

Gomi was able to stuff all his opponent’s takedowns, but, more importantly, he failed to take Sanchez down himself or to rock him with any significant shots.

Sanchez had, in the eyes of the majority of the judges, done enough to neutralise his opponent to seal the win.

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Blame for Diego Sanchez’s Performance Is with the Fighter Not with Greg Jackson

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 th…

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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Chris Leben Blames Greg Jackson for Diego Sachez’s UFC on FUEL 8 Performance

UFC middleweight fighter Chris Leben has joined the Greg Jackson “unappreciation society” after he blamed Diego Sanchez’s subpar performance at UFC on Fuel 8 on the controversial MMA coach.  Sanchez narrowly won a split decision aga…

UFC middleweight fighter Chris Leben has joined the Greg Jackson “unappreciation society” after he blamed Diego Sanchez‘s subpar performance at UFC on Fuel 8 on the controversial MMA coach. 

Sanchez narrowly won a split decision against Takanori Gomi in Japan this past Saturday, in a fight some are calling a robbery.  

To an extent it’s true. The Sanchez we saw—who now calls himself “The Dream” rather than “The Nightmare”—was far from the reckless maniac who pushed a furious pace in his fights against the likes of Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger. Leben‘s recent Tweet suggested he laid the blame squarely at Jackson’s feet. 

“@DiegoSanchezUFC what happened?! You used to move straight forward and crush guys. Too much Greg Jackson i think,” said Leben (h/t MMA Mania)    

Jackson is a highly regarded MMA coach whose trained champions such as Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones. He’s won Fighters Only’s MMA Coach of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. However, he hasn’t been without his detractors. 

Many of his fighters are accused of employing a boring, negative strategy—an accusation which has come to taint Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, N.M.  

Jackson was held responsible for the controversial Carlos Condit decision win last February over Nick Diaz, in which Condit spent much of the fight in retreat. He was later accused of instilling a similar mindset in Clay Guida, when the lightweight lost a decision to Gray Maynard in June. 

Guida has, like Sanchez, gained notoriety as a fearless and tireless fighter. But in his fight against Maynard, his negative style failed to impress the judges or boss Dana White.  

White’s irritation soon turned into vitriol when he accused Jackson of being a “sport killer” for telling his light heavyweight champ Jones not to take a last-minute fight against Chael Sonnen. That decision led to the collapse of UFC 151, the first time that’s happened in the UFC’s history. 

Such caution has done little to endear him to the MMA fraternity, least of all, it seems, to Leben, who is known to have a ferocious propensity to move forward in his fights. However, Leben himself is coming off a very lackluster decision loss to Derek Brunson at UFC 155 this past December. 

Sanchez, meanwhile, was quick to thank Jackson after his win. He said that it was Jackson who told him to “go fight for your family” at the start of the final round which pushed him to victory. 

“That was big time man. I’m about to get all choked up. I got my wife and she’s pregnant with a baby girl, so that’s what this victory was for,” said Sanchez (h/t Yahoo! Sports).

Sanchez was fighting at lightweight on Saturday for the first time since his loss to BJ Penn for the title in 2009, although he did miss weight. The fighter has since announced his intention to fight Nate Diaz, the younger brother of Nick, whom he beat in 2005.

But considering the Diaz camp’s frustration with Jackson-trained Condit last year, it’s still open to question whether Nate would take the Sanchez fight.

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