Come next Wednesday, Diego Sanchez will be taking on “The Juggernaut” Jake Ellenberger in what is likely a No. 1 contender battle for the welterweight strap, which will be hosted by the UFC’s first endeavor on FUEL TV.Sanchez earned his top-spot in the…
Come next Wednesday, Diego Sanchez will be taking on “The Juggernaut” Jake Ellenberger in what is likely a No. 1 contender battle for the welterweight strap, which will be hosted by the UFC’s first endeavor on FUEL TV.
Sanchez earned his top-spot in the division with impressive decision victories over former contenders Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann.
The victory over the Dane was especially important, as both men garnered high praise for their all-out war, which had left Sanchez battered and visibly worse for the wear.
After three hard-fought rounds, Sanchez earned the contentious decision win, though many felt that Kampmann was robbed of the decision. Should Sanchez come out victorious, and Kampmann as well in his next tilt, how will a second bout between the two fan favorites pan out?
Diego Sanchez (right) with Martin Kampmann/ Ken Pishna for MMAWeekly.com
Next Wednesday, Jake Ellenberger will take his likely final step toward his shot at the welterweight title when he takes on perennial contender Diego Sanchez at UFC on FUEL TV 1.The duo will meet in Ellenberger’s hometown of Omaha, Neb., at the Omaha C…
Next Wednesday, Jake Ellenberger will take his likely final step toward his shot at the welterweight title when he takes on perennial contender Diego Sanchez at UFC on FUEL TV 1.
The duo will meet in Ellenberger’s hometown of Omaha, Neb., at the Omaha Civic Auditorium before an adoring crowd that will likely be pro-“Juggernaut.”
The welterweight heavy-hitter is rife with talent and with a victory will prove that he has the right stuff to contend for the title in the near future.
Last night at UFC 143, Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz to become the UFC interim welterweight champion. With UFC champ Georges St-Pierre on the shelf until the end of the year, Condit now has an important choice to make. Take…
Last night at UFC 143, Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz to become the UFC interim welterweight champion.
With UFC champ Georges St-Pierre on the shelf until the end of the year, Condit now has an important choice to make.
Take a fight and risk injury or losing his opportunity to face St-Pierre, or sit out and wait for the unification bout.
While neither Condit nor UFC president Dana White know what the next move will be yet, if Condit does take a fight, there are some interesting fights for him to take.
Lets take a look at five fights he could take to defend his title.
(Today’s required viewing: “Fight Factory” goes deep inside the world of American Kickboxing Academy. Props to nuvoTV via BloodyElbow. Skip to the 12:43 mark to see Phil Baroni’s infamous bodybuilding video get a different reaction than he was looking for.)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…
(Today’s required viewing: “Fight Factory” goes deep inside the world of American Kickboxing Academy. Props to nuvoTV via BloodyElbow. Skip to the 12:43 mark to see Phil Baroni’s infamous bodybuilding video get a different reaction than he was looking for.)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…
Diego Sanchez believes he still has Nick Diaz’s number.In November 2005, the former UFC lightweight contender dominated Diaz with superior wrestling and great submission defense.Nearly seven years later, Sanchez doesn’t think much has changed as far a…
Diego Sanchez believes he still has Nick Diaz’s number.
In November 2005, the former UFC lightweight contender dominated Diaz with superior wrestling and great submission defense.
Nearly seven years later, Sanchez doesn’t think much has changed as far as how he matches up with the former Strikeforce welterweight champion. He recently spoke with MMAValor.com about how he thought a rematch with Diaz would unfold.
Man, everybody out there, straight up, I don’t like to hear this crap about Nick Diaz. I’m hearing this stuff on Sherdog, “Oh Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz…gotta pick Nick Diaz. That was a long time ago, and he’s gotten so much better.” You know what man, we’ve all gotten better. Styles make fights! I’m still a guy that’s gonna take down Nick Diaz. I’m still a guy that’s gonna push the pace on Nick Diaz. I’m still a guy that’s tough enough to take Nick Diaz’s little pitter-patter punches. Styles make fights. Nick Diaz has his grappling on point and so do I. We get back in there again, I’m going to kick his ass again.
After losing to Sanchez, Diaz went on to lose his next two fights and was subsequently released from the UFC in 2006. The three fight skid apparently lit a fire under the Cesar Gracie student.
Minus a cut stoppage to K.J. Noons, Diaz hasn’t lost a professional bout since his UFC release. He has climbed ahead of Sanchez to the top of the welterweight division, and at UFC 143, he’ll be competing against Carlos Condit for the interim title.
Sanchez’s career has been a bit more inconstant as of late. He is 2-2 in his last four fights, but he is coming off a pair of impressive wins over Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago.
Is there truth behind Sanchez’s madness? Could he dominate Diaz a second time?
Wrestling is one aspect of fighting that Diaz has struggled with throughout his entire career. It has nothing to do with any learning deficiencies. Diaz is an intelligent fighter, and with hard work and dedication he could drastically improve his wrestling skills.
Diaz’s wrestling woes seem to be more tactical than anything else. As a world class black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he doesn’t mind being taken down. Diaz is just as confident in fighting from his back as he is on his feet.
The problem with this way of fighting lies in a strong wrestler with great submission defense. Regardless of recent hiccups, Sanchez still exhibits both of those attributes.
Let’s be honest, most people don’t stay up at night counting the days until they get to go to Omaha, Neb. But when Diego Sanchez told Bleacher Report, “I get to go to Omaha, Nebraska,” you’d have thought he was on his way …
Let’s be honest, most people don’t stay up at night counting the days until they get to go to Omaha, Neb. But when Diego Sanchez told Bleacher Report, “I get to go to Omaha, Nebraska,” you’d have thought he was on his way to Disneyland.
The difference is, when kids want to go to Disneyland, they aren’t typically thinking of declaring war on Disneyland. But that’s what Sanchez has in mind for his Feb. 15 fight with Jake Ellenberger in Ellenberger’s hometown for the UFC’s first card on Fuel TV. To Sanchez, his bout with Ellenberger is more than just a fight. It’s geopolitics.
“I look at this like I’m going to, like, Russia, and I’m fighting Russia,” Sanchez said. “I’m going into his backyard. I’m taking the war to him. I’m invading his territory.”
Being on the UFC’s debut on Fuel TV is a bit of déjà vu for “The Dream,” who also appeared on the UFC’s Spike TV premier when he fought Nick Diaz in the first Ultimate Fighter show finale. Sanchez defeated Diaz by unanimous decision to claim the first shard of glass otherwise known as the Ultimate Fighter trophy.
Seven years later, with UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre injured, the man Sanchez beat is preparing to take on Sanchez’s teammate Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight title at UFC 143 on Feb. 4. Sanchez, meanwhile, is preparing for Ellenberger, whom Condit defeated.
Sanchez said he and Condit know that if they both keep winning they’ll have to fight each other, but they’re not sweating it now. Sanchez observed, as has been noted often of late in a variety of contexts, that “it is what it is.”
The two Albuquerque, N.M. natives have come a long way since meeting in a hotel room in Juarez, Mexico.
“Carlos, when he fought his first fight I was fighting my third fight in Juarez, Mexico, and we shared a hotel room together. We were sitting in there talking to each other. I was fighting at 185 he was fighting at 155. And we were telling each other how we were gonna be fighting in UFC. Little did we know. Eight years later we’re here,” Sanchez said.
But Sanchez doesn’t have too much time to spend reflecting on the good old days or dwelling on hypothetical future matchups. He has a date with a man who did in less than a minute what St-Pierre couldn’t do in five rounds: Finish Jake Shields. Sanchez doesn’t take this lightly.
“I feel that I’m fighting the most dangerous fighter in the welterweight division,” he said. “He has knockout power, he’s a great wrestler, he’s hungry, he fights extremely hard. I think he’s the most dangerous guy out there. The way he handled Jake Shields. We saw the way Georges handled Jake Shields, compared to how Jake handled Jake, so you know, I feel like I’m fighting the No. 1 contender.”
That, on top of waging war with Omaha, Neb., is a pretty full plate. But when you’re as hungry as Diego Sanchez, it doesn’t seem like much.
