UFC
Diego Sanchez moving back to UFC's lightweight division
Aug 6, 2012 - 12:50:39 PM Diego Sanchez moving back to UFC's lightweight division

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Diego Sanchez has had a hard time finding a comfortable home in the UFC. The original winner of The Ultimate Fighter has competed with a fair amount of success in both the welterweight and lightweight divisions, but hasn't had trouble staying consistent in each division.

Sanchez initially moved to lightweight when he felt he was undersized at 170 lbs. He thrilled with his performances against Joe Stephenson and Clay Guida, earning him a shot at B.J. Penn. However, he lost that title fight in one of the most one-sided fights in Lightweight Championship history.

That prompted a move back to welterweight, but personal demons and other situations outside of the cage plagued him on the way back up, and he lost a second consecutive fight to John Hathaway. He made a turnaround with wins over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann, but a February loss to Jake Ellenberger had him reevaluating things again.

Now, he's confirmed that a move back to lightweight is in order, revealing the move in a conversation with UFC announcer Joe Rogan on Twitter. After Rogan commented that Sanchez was one of his favorite fighters in the UFC, Sanchez responded with the following:

"There isn't anyone out there that understands MMA as a whole like you do! Thanks Joe, it's back to 155 for me... Should be good!"

When and where that lightweight return will come isn't known just yet, but that's Sanchez's plan at the moment.

Penick's Analysis: His fight with Penn at lightweight simply showcased a skill deficit compared to the longtime Lightweight Champ. He's not going to come back and immediately contend for a title at lightweight again, but he is capable of putting on some very good performances and competing with some of the best in the division. He's really stuck in the in between spot from a weight standpoint, as he strains himself a bit to cut to lightweight but he's real small for a welterweight. One more run at 155 lbs. could be a good change for him, and we'll see how he performs once he's got a fight lined up.