by Diego Sanchez vs Michael Chiesa
At 17-0, and the first ever Ultimate Fighter, Diego Sanchez once looked like the next big thing in MMA. This was in 2006, and boy how things have changed ever since. Sanchez would go on to lose 11 of his next 21 fights and never again look the same.
In fact, in those 11 losses, the most recent three came by knockout. He was also 0-1 in title fights during that stretch. Left for dead, Sanchez decided to give it one last go as doctors, friends, and training partners begged him to stop.
He didn’t listen and has now rolled off 2 straight victories to give his career a tiny flicker of hope. The most recent, a dominating TKO victory over Mickey Gall that earned him performance of the night at UFC 235 in March. It is still in heavy question what Sanchez has in the tank, but his fighting spirit has never wavered.
His opponent tonight, Michael Chiesa is a deadly man who lives by the motto of kill or be killed. All four of his losses have come by devasting submission or KO. However, 11 of his 15 wins have come by either quick KO or submission. Chiesa works fast, and does a lot of damage to whomever dares get in the ring with him.
Prediction – I love Sanchez, he will go down as one of the best fighters to never win a title in UFC history. Sadly, his career is about done, and Chiesa will remind him of that tonight with a scary submission.
