BEHIND THE SCENES MMA ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS!
02/07/2012
Can Diego Sanchez Light Up Jake Ellenberger on FUEL TV?
By Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester
The UFC’s welterweight division has had quite a few interesting bouts in the past couple of weeks thanks to Joe Silva’s matchmaking skills. Last week, there was the Diaz-Condit bout, a fight that not only was an intriguing matching of skills and talent, but also awarded the UFC an interim welterweight champion. And this week’s event at UFC on Fuel TV 1 has its own exciting welterweight scrap between Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger.
Each fighter has something in common. They both have fought one of the contenders from last week’s main event. Diego Sanchez fought and beat Nick Diaz. Jake Ellenberger fought and lost a very thin split decision to Carlos Condit.
Just bringing up the name Diego Sanchez likely make fans think back on all of his exciting fights. The two that comes to mind the most are his Fight of the Year winners against Clay Guida and Karo Parisyan. The Ultimate Fighter season 1 winner is one of the toughest fighters the UFC has to offer. And not only is he tough, he leaves it all in the Octagon. His heart and his will to bring every ounce of energy he has is what make Diego Sanchez’s fights a sight to see.
He is a two-time Fight of the Year winner and a four time UFC Fight of the Night recipient. That alone should tell you that this guy brings it. Beating the likes of Jorge Santiago, Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, John Alessio, Joe Steveneson, Paulo Thiago, and Martin Kampamann; Diego Sanchez has fought a who’s who of mixed martial arts.
Sanchez originally had fought at welterweight but his most critical success was at Lightweight where after going on a four-fight winning streak that included the Fight of the Year bout against Clay Guida, he took on then Lightweight champ BJ Penn in a spirited effort where he was practically dominated for five rounds before a cut stopped the fight.
Returning to welterweight and falling to John Hathaway at UFC 114 in 2010, Diego has looked correct that failure. And without a doubt he has. In the Hathaway fight, Sanchez was just not himself. He is famous for pushing the pace and doesn’t have any fear of putting his all at the expense of getting badly beaten and bruised. After a win over Paulo Thiago, he made this known in his last outing against Martin Kampmann, who some fans believe won the fight. At the end of the fight Sanchez was badly bruised and nearly unrecognizable from the facial swelling that came from the beating he took for three rounds. However, after those three rounds, the judges scored the bout in favor of Sanchez who had took the center of the Octagon and pushed the pace throughout the fight despite being knocked down in the first round, and losing most of the exchanges in the fight.
Come UFC on Fuel TV 1, he’ll have a tough fight in surging welterweight Jake Ellenberger. Although Ellenberger has had a shorter career in the UFC than Diego Sanchez, his only loss in the UFC has come from Carlos Condit in Ellenberger’s debut to the Zuffa owned organization. Since then, he has literally blasted through his opponents. Only two of six UFC bouts has gone the distance; the rest has been T(KO)s.
Sanchez may be as tough as it comes in the welterweight division, but Ellenberger is a powerhouse of strength and talent. His last fight against perennial and multi-organization contender in Jake Shields showed just that. He devastated Jake Shields within 53 seconds of their fight, a feat that had not happened to Shields since 2000.
If last week’s Diaz and Condit bout was a fight between natural born killers, then this week’s main event at UFC on Fuel TV 1 is a fight between two men who have a “never say quit” attitude. Without a doubt, Sanchez will come to center of the Octagon and look to trade. And Ellenberger will surely oblige him with punches and knees that have stopped four of his opponents so far in the UFC. Will Jake Ellenberger make Diego Sanchez become another victim? Or will Sanchez continue to show that he is the toughest fighter on the UFC’s roster?
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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Love the article! Can’t wait to see how it plays out on Wednesday!