UFC 95 Interview: Diego Sanchez talks Joe Stevenson
Dropping down to get to the Top
Diego Sanchez cuts to lightweight in search of a UFC title
“The Nightmare” Diego Sanchez is looking to cause a huge scare at 155 as he drops down to the lightweight division to fight Joe Stevenson. Hungry and revitalized at lightweight, Sanchez is in search of his first title shot. After mulling over his career, he decided that the best thing to do for achieving his dream of being a UFC champion would be to move down. He’s intensely training in the mountains of
How do you feel dropping down to lightweight?
I’m feeling extremely confident about dropping down to 155. I’ve always fought 170 weighing around 170, I never really cut weight, the only weight I would cut was maybe like 8 pounds of fat from eating fat after the fight. I was a small 170 pounder, when I fight Fitch he easily had 20 pounds on me. I’ve fought bigger guys, all of the top guys at 170, now dropping down I’m going to have more power, stronger and faster. For the longest time I didn’t want to drop because I was doing just fine and was comfortable at 170. Now, it’s the smartest move in my career. I’m undefeated at this weight class, I get to go down and raise my stock in the sport of MMA. It was always in the back of my mind that I could make 155, it’s just more discipline and it just comes down to diet.
How did this opportunity at lightweight come about?
I was going to fight Thiago Alves and I got injured one of my ribs. I was trying to think of who I was going to fight next and I wanted to get back as soon as I could. I was thnking about it and I decided to just do it. I thought it was the best thing for me, I couldn’t really think of anybody at 170 to fight. I just think it’s a faster path to a title shot at 155. Then I also told myself, “You know, if you’re going to make 155, now is the time.” I’m 27 and I could still do it, once I get into my 30s it’s going to be harder to make that weight. I could eventually go back up to 170 at that time, and so it was better to do it now and I can have a chance to be a champion at 155 and later down the road be the champion at 170.
Have you done a test cut?
Oh that would be impossible man. I only have so much time and every day is getting off a little bit of weight at a time, that’s the way you do it smart. You take your time. Some people said try and do a test cut, but I’m not going to do it like that. Because I’m going to it like that because I’m going to get down as low as I can, I’ll probably get down to 165 and do a 9 pound cut. I want to put on as much weight as I can, I want to be the biggest I can be without losing any of my conditioning and my endurance.
Is Joe Stevenson who you wanted to fight first at 155?
Personally I asked for Kenny Florian first. They didn’t want to give me that fight for some reason. There were other guys I wanted to fight too like Nate Diaz. But Joe is one of the toughest guys at 155. He is coming off a loss to BJ Penn and then a loss to Florian, but besides that he’s beaten a lot of tough guys at 155 in impressive fashion. So I’m excited for this fight, he’s a great fighter and a real tough guy. That was the fight they proposed, it’s a great fighter for the UFC, the original The Ultimate Fighter versus the winner of season two of The Ultimate Fighter. Makes for a good fight, makes for a good Spike TV fight too, so everything worked out.
You mentioned Kenny Florian, you wanted to fight him because if you scored the win you’d instantly gain huge status at lightweight?
Exactly. Regardless, I’ve already beat Kenny Florian, so it doesn’t matter what anybody says. I’ve been fighting 170 pounders. I think as long as I decisively beat Joe Stevenson I think that puts me directly in the number one spot. If I have to fight Kenny Florian to prove it again I’d love to do that. I honestly think the toughest guy at 155 is Sean Sherk and he’s called me out already so I might have to fight him. But if I could fight Kenny Florian and it’d be a bigger fight or a number one contender’s fight, that’s what I want. I want BJ Penn. Especially watching him tap out against GSP, that’s my strength, I don’t get tired in the cage. I’ve never gotten tired in my whole career in the UFC, that’s my strength, my conditioning—I get stronger as the fight goes on. To see BJ tired in the second round in the most important fight of his life shows me what kind of conditioning ethics he has as a champion, and that’s a person I’m going after.
So after watching that fight, did you think you can definitely be champ at 155?
You want to know what I said after watching that fight? I said a fight with BJ Penn and me would go into the fourth round because I’m going to put a heck kof a lot more pressure than GSP did and I’ll go for the finish.
What are you advantages over Joe Stevenson?
I think being mentally strong, more confidence. He’s coming off two losses, he got stopped in both fights. I am very mentally strong, I come in prepared in the best shape and ready to fight, and I leave it in the Octagon. My fans love me and love watching me fight because I leave it in the Octagon every time. I fought Kokscheck with a staph infection and I was still sick and I still left in Octagon to the best of my abilities. I was sick and that was probably my worst fight, but besides that all my fights have been exciting. I
I’ts going to be awesome. The song that I’m coming out to is going to rock, they’re going to be so into it. I’m going to be the last person to come out, so it’s going to be a dream come true. I vowed to myself to stay disciplined on my diet and make sure I make the weight the right way, because I just try and drain myself out I could drain my energy system and I’m not going to do that, I’m going to do it smart.
Jatinder Dhoot is the co-creator of the MMA trivia application for the iPhone and iPod touch.
“I’m going to put a heck kof a lot more pressure than GSP did and I’ll go for the finish.”
Sanchez says something interesting here. He says he’ll put more pressure. But the way GSP won over Penn is because he had a plan of getting his arm tired and not being able to box or roll as strongly as he could have earlier in the rounds. If Sanchez decides to execute his tactic of “pressuring than GSP”, Penn would just muddle his offense, roll, and submit Sanchez, who’s a far inferior BJJ artist.
Sanchez, you lost against Stephenson for a reason. Because you think fighting is all about pressure, and not tactic.