After his loss to lightweight champion, B.J. Penn, in December, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez chose to move back up to the welterweight division. At UFC 114, The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner squared off with up-and-comer, John Hathaway. It was assumed by many that Sanchez would emerge victorious. Unfortunately for the “Nightmare,” Hathaway delivered a dominating performance leading to a unanimous decision win for the undefeated Brit.

Once a force in his weight class, Sanchez is now stuck in MMA purgatory. UFC President, Dana White, believes the answer lies in the lightweight division.

“I’m not [Sanchez's] manager, but I think he should stay at [lightweight]. Listen, a loss to B.J. Penn doesn’t mean you go back up to 170. It means you stay at 155, and you do what Kenny Florian did. You stay in there and you keep grinding it out and keep beating the top guys, and you get back in line and work your way back up to the top again. Diego does not look good at 170.”

It will be interesting to see what Sanchez does next. Will he take White’s suggestion and move back down to 155 pounds or continue to work through the ranks of the welterweight division? Either way, the 28-year-old could benefit from a change in his approach to training, particularly in the striking department. The old days of dominating his opponents with wrestling appear to be over.

(Source: MMA Junkie)