UFC on FUEL TV 8: March 2, 2013 Saitama, Japan UFC Lightweight Contender Diego Sanchez (-350) Profile: One of the original winners in Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter (albeit at 185 pounds) next to Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez (23-5) has spent the better part of a decade racking up wins in the welterweight and lightweight divisions in the UFC. Sanchez is the definition of aggressive, moving forward, eating punches and rarely flinching to the damage being inflicted on him. With only four fights to his name over the past three years, the 31-year-old veteran has mostly been off the radar, but that has not stopped him from racking up three straight Fight of the Night bonuses. He has strong wrestling, decent stand-up and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Plus, his coaching at Jackson’s MMA is top notch, and he can ruin just about anyone’s day in multiple divisions. After losing to Jake Ellenberger in February of 2012, Sanchez announced that he would head back down to lightweight after going 2-2 during his experimental run at welterweight. UFC Lightweight Contender Takanori Gomi (+250) Profile: “The Fireball Kid” needs no introduction to those familiar with Pride. In the legendary Japanese organization, Takanori Gomi (34-8-1) was the only and final lightweight champ who enjoyed a monstrous run that spanned from 2004 to 2007. Post-Pride, the 34-year-old Japanese fighter would toil in Shooto and and Sengoukou until the UFC came calling to bolster its lightweight division. By no means is Gomi the fighter he once was. With more than 40 fights, he is at the tail end of an MMA career filled with exciting brawls against some of the best in the world. Gomi has nothing left to prove and is merely looking to survive in the UFC ranks at this point to close out his twilight years. He has won his last two bouts following the third two-fight losing streak of his career in which he was submitted by Clay Guida and Nate Diaz in succession. Opening UFC on FUEL TV 8 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Sanchez a large -350 favorite (bet $350 to win $100) while Gomi opened as a +250 underdog (bet $100 to win $250) at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. Sanchez will be back in the Octagon for the first time in more than a year and returns to lightweight, where he lost a title fight to B.J. Penn in December of 2009. He has always been an entertaining fighter, backed up by the fact that he has earned six Fight of the Night bonuses during his career, including a current string of three consecutive awards. Sanchez was 2-1 in his previous stint at lightweight, with the lone loss coming against Penn. Meanwhile, Gomi remains a tough opponent, proven by his 2-0 mark in 2012. He has knockout power, with 13 of his 34 wins ending that way, so his best shot here is to be aggressive and stay on the feet. Gomi has been susceptible to submissions, as his last four losses have come via armbar, guillotine choke, rear-naked choke and Achilles lock. Sanchez has not stopped a foe since scoring a TKO victory against Luigi Fioravanti at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, but nine of his 23 wins have been submissions. This seems to be a bigger fight for him than Gomi due to his recent inactivity, and he should be looking to make a serious statement here that he is still a legit title contender.
