Creature vs. Creature: Diego Sanchez a Nightmare for Hathaway At UFC 114

First off, I want to make it clear that John Hathaway is no joke. He's shown that he is quite well-rounded in his game, going 3-0 in the UFC so far.

That being said, James Egan, Rick Story, and Paul Taylor are not Diego Sanchez. If Diego is anything at this point, it is experienced. Diego has fought some of the best the sport has to offer including Jon Fitch, Nick Diaz, Jorge Santiago and Josh Koscheck.

Now, I won't say that Diego only has one way to win this fight, but there is certainly a clear strategy that should be favored over anything else. Diego has to get this fight to the ground immediately, keep Hathaway there, and land elbows to his body and head repeatedly.

When facing a long skinny fighter, and Hathaway is definitely that, it is always a wise idea to attack that body early. In Hathaway's fight with Rick Story, it was obvious that Story's body shots drained Hathaway's power in the third round. Diego is about as relentless on the ground as anyone in the sport.

While Sanchez has grown immensely in his striking, it is not his strong suit. More important than that, Hathaway is four inches taller than Diego, and has shown an ability to utilize his reach. It is one thing to be taller, it is another to use that height, and Hathaway can.

Also, Hathaway tends to respond to striking with takedowns, and Diego needs to keep his back off the mat at all costs. Diego is not helpless there, but Hathaway is a strong kid whose biggest strength is his ground and pound. We saw the incredible damage he can do from the top position in his fight with Paul Taylor.

Diego has to use the same game-plan as Hathaway. Rick Story's corner made a terrible mistake in their fight with Hathaway, when they told him to not take him down and just keep striking. That is a recipe for disaster against a guy who can easily counter a shorter armed fighter with either his long arms or his takedowns.

Most importantly, and this is why I'm sure he will win this fight, Diego must make Hathaway feel the moment. Hathaway may have three wins in the UFC, but they were all in Europe, and they were all hidden on the undercard. Diego is used to the big stage, and he will let Hathaway know that this is a whole different level of competition.

Look for Diego to overwhelm Hathaway for the full five minutes of the first round, and TKO him in the second or third. If Hathaway survives until the final bell, he will be taking an immense amount of punishment in the third round.

Diego has incredible mental fortitude and it's highly unlikely that he is still suffering any ill effects from his recent loss to B.J. Penn. On top of that, he is back at welterweight where he belongs, and I expect to see a stronger and more aggressive Sanchez.

Don't agree? Check out Robert Gardner's perspective on why he thinks Hathaway will become 4-0 in his American debut, here .