Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago confirmed for UFC 121
Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez has been confirmed to face Brazilian Paulo Thiago at UFC 121 on October 21, which will feature the heavyweight championship between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez as the main event. The event is being put on by the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
Rising Star meets Falling Prospect?
Paulo Thiago has been the subject of much discussion in the MMA world since his debut, an upset victory against welterweight contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 95. Undefeated in his native Brazil, Thiago entered the UFC as a dangerous Brazilian iu-jitsu practitioner, with seven of his ten wins coming by way of submission. Since entering the UFC, he has built a 3 -2 record, silencing some of the vocal fans he gained in his victory against Koscheck.
Many called it simply a fluke victory, but a respectable loss against top contender Jon Fitch, and then victories over Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick silenced his critics. Recently though he was dominated by Martin Kampmann in an upset victory, which has taken some of his momentum away. Regardless, he is still considered a top welterweight, currently ranked as #7 according to Sherdog.com.
Sanchez, on the other hand, enters this fight rattled after two straight losses. First appearing on the original fighter, he was seen as an incredibly focused and ambitious fighter whose only dream was to win a championship belt. After winning a UFC contract through the show, he amassed a 9-2 record and underwent a move to lightweight, where he quickly dispatched contenders Joe “Daddy” Stevenson and Clay Guida, earning him his title shot against BJ Penn.
Sanchez was constantly picked apart by Penn’s superior boxing skills in the ring, and his dreams were violently shattered by a head kick in the fifth round which opened one of the most gruesome cuts in the recent history of MMA. Following the loss, Sanchez decided to move back up to welterweight. In his next fight, against 22-year-old British hotshot John “The Hitman” Hathaway, fans saw a far more timid Diego Sanchez lose by unanimous decision, once again torn apart by the younger fighter's superior striking.
Battle of the Styles
Sanchez and Thiago bring almost mirror opposites in terms of skill sets. Despite his recent losses, Sanchez has shown consistent technical striking and an iron chin above all else. His loss to BJ Penn following the devastating head kick which ended the fight was a doctor stoppage rather than a TKO. In fact, Sanchez has never been stopped by knockout or by the referee by failing to defend himself.
Thiago is no slouch when it comes to stand up either. He has demonstrated knockout power since his debut fight against Koscheck. Even though his control of the fight prior to the strike was debatable, there is no doubt Paulo possesses good knockout power for a jiu-jitsu expert. He also is a member of the Brazilian Black House team, which includes strikers such as Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.
Both fighters bring takedown ability to the match. Diego is a wrestler who until recently trained with Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting in Albuquerque. Thiago, on the other hand, holds a black belt in judo in addition to his black belt in jiu-jitsu. Both fighters have the ability to take the other to the ground.
In physical terms, Thiago is the larger fighter. In addition to holding a 2.5 inch reach advantage over Sanchez, he enters the octagon as a large welterweight. His bout with Mike Swick saw Thiago use his strength to advantage on the ground, securing a D’arce choke that put Swick unconsciousness fairly quickly. The size advantage is particularly frightening for Diego if the fight comes to takedown defense.
Final Thoughts
The well roundedness of the fighters makes for a match that could take place anywhere in the octagon. The fight could very well come down to whoever fights smarter, as neither opponent completely cancels out the other in terms of skill sets. If Sanchez is able to maintain the pace he was famous for before his devastating loss at BJ Penn, the match may very well have fight of the night potential.
UFC 121 will premiere on October 21st at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and on Pay Per View.
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