If Diego Sanchez’s pre-fight interviews are to be believed, he’s going to give up the trademark brawling style that’s helped him earn four ‘Fight Of The Night’ bonuses in his last five Octagon encounters.
Sanchez claims he’s gone back to the drawing board regarding his fighting style, and while he’s not entirely ruling out the possibility of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Myles Jury who he faces on Saturday night at UFC 171, he’s now targeting a gameplan he think will prove more effective.
“I’m done being some brawler,” Sanchez stated at yesterday’s open workouts. “I’m going to go in there and show greatness. Because greatness is inside of me. I’ve shown little peaks and little moments throughout my career. But I’m tired of that. I’m done with that.”
“If I have to do it again, I will,” Sanchez continued. “But, is that the route I’m gonna go? No. I’m gonna try and be effective. I’m gonna try and move when a punch comes my way.”
Not that he’s worried about his jaw holding up though – he claims that despite being battered and bruised over the course of five rounds against Gilbert Melendez last time out that the current No.1 contender, “never fazed me or dazed me once.”
It makes sense for Sanchez to change things up. Despite his legendary chin and claims that he’s not been hurt by the likes of Melendez, the truth is he’s taking more punishment in the Octagon than most others and while that’s made him a fan favorite and a hero in the eyes of the UFC’s head honchos Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta, it’s not a great strategy if he wants longevity in the sport and a healthy life afterwards.
Sanchez does have other tools at his disposal and if he can keep the pace that he fights at, but pay more attention to his defense in the striking battles and mix in more ground-based work into his strategy then it can only benefit him in the long run.
