Diego Sanchez decision to move back down to the lightweight division has got off to a shaky start after he failed to make weight for his fight with Takanori Gomi at ‘UFC On Fuel TV 8’ last night.
Sanchez weighed in a 158lbs and despite being given an additional hour to cut a further 2lbs he was unable to do so and as a result has had to forfeit 20% of his fight purse.
“Gomi better not be crying I missed weight, after I win because those 2 lbs cost 24 thousand dollars,” Sanchez wrote on Twitter later. “If I could have cut it I would have :(“
This is the first time Sanchez has missed weight for a fight and appeared to have no problem cutting down to lightweight during a three-fight run in the division back in 2009 which culminated in a loss in a title fight with BJ Penn.
The 31 year-old is coming off a year lay-off from the sport due to a shoulder surgery following a 2-2 stint at welterweight, and he revealed earlier this week that he had to cut 50lbs for this fight after gaining a lot of weight during that period.
Sanchez claims that the time off from fighting has allowed him to come to the realization that his day in the sport are numbered and he’s spoke of his determination to make another big push for a title shot, believing that lightweight offered his best opportunity to do so.
