UFC on Fuel TV 1: 6 Reasons Diego Sanchez Will Shut Down Jake Ellenberger

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Diego Sanchez faces Jake Ellenberger at UFC on Fuel TV 1 this Wednesday in Omaha, NE.

Sanchez has won six of his last eight fights, whereas Ellenberger is riding a five fight win streak.

If either fighter is going to be in contention for the Welterweight belt this year, a win here will put them within a fight of that opportunity.

Although Ellenberger is favored to win this bout, it will be "The Dream" who emerges victorious on Wednesday night.

6. Sanchez Does Not Get Knocked out

Jake Ellenberger has 17 career knockouts. Diego Sanchez technically has one loss by TKO on his record, but that was due to cuts. The man does not go down.

How will Ellenberger react when he has given all he can against Sanchez, only to see his opponent still standing and ready for more?

5. Ellenberger Is Still Not Ready for the Spotlight

Ellenberger is headlining this event because of his win over Jake Shields. Most would agree that Shields would have been better off pulling out of the fight to deal with the emotions of losing his father just two weeks prior.

Shields was not able to give Ellenberger his best effort. Sanchez will have a clear head and be ready to slug it out in a way that Ellenberger has yet to see in the Octagon.

4. Sanchez Has Too Much Experience

Diego Sanchez has 16 fights in the UFC. Jake Ellenberger only has six. Granted, having more fights than another opponent is never grounds for predicting a winner, but look at who these fighters have faced.

Sanchez has fought the likes of Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Clay Guida and B.J. Penn.

Ellenberger has done battle with Jake Shields and Carlos Condit, and that is really all that is there as far as big names go.

Sanchez will be able to use his experience over Ellenberger to make a good read on the gameplan he is up against.

3. "The Dream" Has Revisited Wrestling

Diego Sanchez was at one time well known for his wrestling skills. A few slugfests in recent memory has derailed the notion that he is strong on the ground.

Ellenberger may be focused on using his world-class wrestling skills to get Sanchez off his feet and onto the ground.

Should Diego be able to stuff a few takedown attempts and even reverse the position into his favor, Ellenberger will be in a world of trouble once he realizes how much effort Sanchez has put into refining his already solid wrestling game.

2. Diego Can Keep His Distance

If you have seen Ellenberger fight before, then you know you can expect a swarm of strikes, knees and kicks.

Sanchez can match Ellenberger's intensity, but is also smart enough to bat him away when he gets close and not take the bait of getting into the clinch with him.

Sanchez learned a ton from his fight with B.J. Penn. More specifically, he learned that he needs to keep moving and not allow that type of opponent to get in close.

Ellenberger has a lot of similarities to Penn, and Sanchez has had a little over two years to learn from his mistakes that night.

1. This Is Diego's Last Run at the Belt

Although Diego Sanchez is coming off of two straight wins, his back is against the wall when it comes to making a serious run at the title.

Sanchez was given a shot at a title in 2009, but fell hard to B.J. Penn. He is a self defined "new man," with a new nickname and a new outlook on life. Typically, when you hear a fighter talk like this it is a prelude to them riding off into the sunset.

"The Dream" is approaching the other side of 30-years-old and has been a professional fighter since 2002. The drive to fight is there, but should he lose and have to start working his from the bottom again, he may never recover.

With Sanchez being as close as he is to another shot at the title, you can expect him to be intense, focused, and smart in this fight.

Diego Sanchez will shut down Jake Ellenberger.

 

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