Diego Sanchez to Return to Welterweight

Three fights -- two of which received Fight of the Night honors and the other a championship bout -- later, Diego Sanchez's experiment at lightweight is apparently over.

Sanchez revealed the move late Monday to fans on his Twitter account and also suggested rematches against two American Kickboxing Academy opponents whom he suffered losses to in 2007.

"Yes I'm going back to welterweight," Sanchez wrote. "I'm loving my new diet. I want [Josh Koscheck] or [Jon] Fitch but any top guy will do. Just want to give you fans the best fight."

Sanchez (21-3) entered the UFC in 2005, winning the first Ultimate Fighter competition as a middleweight. By his next fight, Sanchez moved down to his natural weight class at welterweight. He went on a tear in his next five fights before suffering back-to-back losses to Koscheck and Fitch.

Sanchez would win two more at 170 and then in 2009, believing he should make the cut while his then-27-year-old body can still handle it, dropped to lightweight. He headlined two Spike TV cards and defeated contenders Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida to earn himself a shot last month against BJ Penn for the lightweight title. However, he would suffer his most definitive loss of his career against the dominant lightweight champ.

As for another possible return opponent, Sanchez publicly asked another lightweight who recently announced his intention to jump to welterweight.

"I agree you got robbed," Sanchez wrote to Nate Diaz. "I hear you're going up to 170 too. I would love to welcome you to welterweight. Let's make it happen."

Anfields5thKing wrote:Sanchez won't win a title in the UFC. I thought he was the man to beat BJ at LW, he failed miserably. There's 4 guys at WW that will beat him every time, GSP, Alves, Kos, Fitch.

Anfields5thKing wrote:I'm not under-estimating Diego at all. I think he's a great fighter. but IMO he's not one of the top 6 WW's in the world. I think the top 4 guys in the UFC would beat him, as well as Shields and Diaz.

I actually give Nate Diaz a decent chance against him to be honest.

ChelseaQuinsfan wrote:Ye fair enough, his reach does cause problems for fighters but he doesn't throw enough knees. He doesn't have much power in those hands. Diaz lost to Guida and Daddy, who lost to Sanchez, I know MMA doesn't work like that but I think Sanchez is a better version of Daddy.

Nick Diaz now is much better than when Sanchez first fought him but I don't know. I would be more confident of the other 5 beating Sanchez than Diaz because of styles. GSP, Kos, Fitch and Shields are all better wrestlers and Alves is just a terrible matchup for him. Diaz has better standup, Sanchez has better wrestling and there BJJ is equal. Sanchez has better conditioing and pace.

I think Nate's biggest problem has been the damage he's been doing to himself cutting so much weight. Kenny Florian said he heard that Nate has walked around at 180-190. I've met both Diaz brothers and i think Nate has the bigger frame. I think he could build himself up to being a decent size MW. He never looks like he has lots of energy when he steps into a fight. I think he's been taking too much out of himself cutting weight.

I think Karo Parisyan at his best would beat Diego too. I thought he beat him the first time around and he had barely trained for that fight.

Karo's got to get his head straight though.