Pound For Pound: Sanchez Rides Again

There was a time about two years ago, with Sanchez muddling through a particularly rough patch in his MMA career – back-to-back losses to welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, protracted health problems and a well-publicized split with long-time trainer Greg Jackson – that I certainly thought his best days were behind him.

 

And when Sanchez announced that his plan to make himself relevant again involved dropping into the UFC’s shark-infested 155-pound division, I probably thought something like: Nice knowing ya, Diego. Frankly, I just didn’t think the inaugural winner of the “Ultimate Fighter” reality show was going to be able to run with the big dogs in the company’s most competitive division.

 

Boy, was I wrong.

 

Since cutting to lightweight earlier this year, Sanchez hasn’t merely been competitive, he’s been dominant. And while he’s probably still one fight away from being considered a legitimate No. 1 contender for UFC gold, one thing is already abundantly clear:

 

Diego Sanchez is back. Possibly better than ever.

 

Last Saturday on an Ultimate Fighter finale card so stacked that the UFC eventually handed out three “Fight of the Night” bonuses, the Albuquerque native stole the show with his three-round epic against Clay Guida in the main event. There are already whispers of that it will contend for “fight of the year” honors.

 

Sanchez set the tone early in the bout, storming across the Octagon at the opening bell with his trademark aggressiveness. He made good use of a four-inch reach advantage, immediately backing the shorter Guida against the cage and knocking his mouthpiece out under a torrent of winging uppercuts. Sanchez then added a flying knee, battled back to his feet after a Guida takedown and floored the Chicago carpenter with a head kick that would’ve killed any non-caveman.

 

And that was just the first three minutes.

 

After a 10-8 first, Guida gave nearly as good as he got for the final two rounds. So much so that ringside judge Patricia Morse Jarman actually scored the fight in his favor, handing Sanchez a win by somewhat quizzical split decision.

 

Regardless of the judging irregularities – no two judges scored the fight the same – the victory made four straight wins for the “Nightmare,” the last two coming against relatively stiff competition in the UFC lightweight class.

 

Those most recent W’s, over Guida and Joe Stevenson, have been significant not only in establishing Sanchez as a contender at 155-pounds but also displaying his still-evolving skill set. Especially against Guida, Sanchez made it clear that his striking ability is starting to catch up with his ferocity and that makes him a very dangerous opponent for anyone in the lighter division.

 

The final two rounds on Saturday also showed that he still has some weaknesses, however. Sanchez can be taken down and, while he’s got great top-game jiu jitsu skills, his guard is not terribly active. He looked good off his back in delivering elbow strikes to the top of Guida’s head, but the wrestler was basically able to control him on the mat and that alone was enough to make the final scores too close for comfort.

 

With B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian set to fight for the lightweight title at UFC 101 in August, I’d like to see Sanchez next fight Gray Maynard to determine a consensus top contender. At 7-0, Maynard is certainly a guy who test Sanchez’s takedown defense, though the more seasoned fighter may well have the edge if he is able to keep the fight on the feet.

 

Despite some lingering questions, the news is mostly all good for Sanchez in the wake of the “Ultimate Fighter” finale. He’s now garnered a “Fight of the Night” bonus with his last two fights, has advanced to a record of 22-2 and is still just 27 years old. His rebirth at lightweight is one of the legitimately surprising feel-good stories of 2009.

 

A couple more solid performances should be enough to silence even his toughest critics. Me included.