Diego Sanchez will look to snap a two fight losing streak on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 42 as he meets Ross Pearson in the co-main event.
This is the third time in the career of Sanchez that he will enter a fight following back to back defeats and he has never lost three fights in a row in his career.
Ever since this fight card was announced, Sanchez (24-7) made it known that he wanted to be on the card since he is from Albuquerque. The last time he competed in a mixed martial arts fight in Albuquerque was in 2004, which was before he entered the UFC and he called this opportunity to be on this card a “dream come true.”
“It feels like I’ve come full circle, after all those battles,” Sanchez said last night on UFC Tonight. “I’ve had 20 fights in the UFC. It’s a dream come true. I’ve been waiting to fighting in this high altitude for a long time.”
Just like Sanchez, Pearson (15-6) is a winner of The Ultimate Fighter as he won season nine in 2009. Since winning the reality show, Pearson has gone 6-3, 1NC in the UFC lightweight and featherweight divisions. After a short tint at featherweight in 2011 and 2012, he has returned to the lightweight division were he is unbeaten in his last three fights.
Sanchez was asked last night by the show panel on how he is going to be able to defeat Pearson, which Sanchez explained how he has the blueprint to walk away with the victory.
“Basically, I’ve got the blueprint – the Matt Brown fight,” Sanchez stated. “Put the pressure on him and get him tired. Chase him down and cut the cage off. If I have the opportunity to take the fight to the ground, I will. I’ve been working on my striking and I’m going to look for the knockout.”
The last time Sanchez stepped into the octagon came at UFC 171 in March as he lost a decision to Myles Jury. Following the fight, Sanchez revealed that he made a bad food choice prior to the fight and he went into more details on his bad food decision.
“I made a really bad decision and it came to bite me in the butt,” he said. “I got really sick. I threw up three times at the hotel, three times at the venue. I was in great shape but I was dehydrated and I didn’t have that quick twitch I needed to fight a young guy like Myles Jury. I give it to him and his team. He fought a great game plan and they got the win and my hat is off to him to this day. I am excited to get back in there and show everybody in the world that I am not washed up. I am still out there. I am still good and Saturday night I am going to prove everyone that is talking crap wrong.”