Diego Sanchez has proven to be one of the biggest fan favorites in UFC history. Besides Josh Koscheck, he’s the only fighter left from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter still fighting. Unlike Koscheck, he hasn’t been getting annihilated in recent fights. Sanchez continues to put on compelling fights and consistently gets a good reaction from the crowd. Despite having a noteworthy career, he is currently at a crossroads in his career.
For the third time in his career, Sanchez is on a two-fight losing streak. This is also his first two-fight losing streak as a lightweight, which is the weight class that suits him best.. I’ll never take his losing streaks at welterweight with much credence, considering he was so undersized in that division.
A two-fight losing streak is always significant, especially when you start settling into your thirties. Media members and fans start to question, if you can still compete with the best. That even includes if you put on a fight of the year caliber performance against the number one contender in the lightweight division. It’s a strange concept, yet you can make valid points in questioning Sanchez’s future.
We’ve seen him take a substantial amount of punishment over his career. From his losses to BJ Penn and Jake Ellenberger, he’s been busted up in heavy doses. Even in his victories such as the controversial win over Martin Kampmann, he’s taken massive punishment. You have to bring up the question on how much more damage can be take? He’s had to take a long period of time off in between fights from 2011 to 2013.
While he’s been more active over the past year, can he continue to fight at a rapid pace? He continues to face faster fighters, who know how to strike effectively. Gilbert Melendez and Myles Jury may not have one-punch knockout power, but they are amongst the best volume strikers in the lightweight division. Now Sanchez has to face Ross Pearson, who is both a solid volume striker and can finish a fight with one punch.
This is a tall order for Sanchez coming off a short layoff. He blamed his last loss from receiving food poisoning, which could be somewhat justified. Jury had an excellent performance, but something was clearly off with Sanchez. His pace was slower than usual and Jury was beating him to every angle. Sanchez was getting picked apart and unlike any of his past fights, he wasn’t able to muster much of a comeback. Whenever he attempted to rush in, Jury would land a jab or a counter right hand. Then to mix his counter attacks up, he would successfully land a takedown without much resistance. Also, Sanchez never went for one takedown, which is odd for him.
It was easily one of the most disappointing performances of Sanchez’s career. We never saw that jaw-dropping third round comeback that we’ve seen him pull off in his fights against Ellenberger and Melendez. Not many fighters can say that they’ve came back in the third round to nearly finish multiple opponents. That’s why when the third round began, many people immediately assumed that Sanchez would storm in and test Jury like no one has done before. A third round comeback from him had become a formality, yet it never occurred.
He claims to be fully healthy and has even promised to bring back “the nightmare”, which used to be his old nickname. While he’s said publicly that he looks to be more technical, that will be difficult against Pearson. Pearson knows how to use angles well, along with being an excellent counter striker. We don’t see him head hunting as much as he used to in past fights as well. Although he doesn’t kick very often, he uses body punches efficiently to stay unpredictable.
In his victory over George Sotiropoulos, it was a sharp left hook to the body that began the finishing touches to an outstanding performance. We always knew Pearson had dangerous knockout power and is a tough matchup for anybody. Now he’s becoming more methodical in relying on counter striking rather than rushing in. That is the most efficient style to defeat someone like Sanchez.
This is a very intriguing fight that could determine Sanchez’s future. He still remains physically in great shape, but how about mentally? His vow to be more technical wasn’t fulfilled in his loss to Jury. Will we see a more disciplined style or will he actually fight like “the nightmare”, who rushes in with no fear? As durable as he may be, rushing in with no fear wouldn’t be wise against Pearson.
The crossroads of his career will take place in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can’t ask for a better opportunity to maintain your career in the right direction. If he doesn’t get caught up in standing and trading with Pearson, the potential questions about retirement could very well be erased. Sanchez has always had an underrated ground game that isn’t publicized enough. People consistently rave about his durability and fearless attitude, yet forget about his other attributes.
He doesn’t receive enough acknowledgment for his ground game. Once again, how many fighters can say they’ve come back from being decimated in the first two rounds to nearly finishing their opponent in the final round? Melendez is amongst the best lightweights on the ground, yet Sanchez took his back in the third round with relative ease. After being knocked down on multiple occasions in the first two rounds by Ellenberger, he took his back and landed serious punches in the third round as well.
He may only have one submission win in the UFC, but that doesn’t mean his excellence on the ground should be disregarded. It has proven to be lethal and that could very well be his biggest asset on Saturday. Pearson has had issues on the ground in the past against Sotriopoulos, who had his back and nearly finished him. Cole Miller had also submitted him in the past with a rear naked choke.
This fight won’t decide Sanchez’s legacy by any stretch. He’ll always be remembered for being exciting and honorable. You could never question his heart and determination. This fight could very well decide if Sanchez can still succeed at the highest level. Pearson may not be a contender, but he’s still dangerous and has proven to be a UFC mainstay. Sanchez may be returning as “the nightmare”, but will see if his reckless style is going to come along for the journey or if he can truly evolve as a mixed martial artist.
Twitter: @Allen_Strk
