Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenbergr Head to Head: Who will win at UFC on Fuel TV 1

This Wednesday, Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger will face off in a fight that may determine who the top ranked contender is in the UFC’s welterweight division.

While some people may sleep on this fight because it’s a midweek card and does not feature a “glamour” name in the main event, I would implore you, the reader, not to be one of those fans.  Between the two fighters they have captured five “Fight Night Bonuses, with Sanchez raking in four of those, including two “Fight of the Night” awards in his last two fights.

Here’s Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger head to head:

Striking: 70-30 Jake Ellenberger

Ellenberger is, hands down, the more powerful of the two strikers, running up 17 knockouts in his 26 career victories. What his opponent, Diego Sanchez lacks in power he attempts to make up for in volume, throwing far more strikes than Ellenberger does.  The downside is that while he is busier, that volume rarely results in knockouts for Sanchez, as he only has six KO’s in his 23 career victories, with the last one coming back in June 2008, when he defeated Luigi Fioravanti by third round TKO.

An additional factor is the hand injury that Sanchez will be coming back from. That could factor into his willingness to throw as many strikes as he has in the past. 

If Ellenberger finds an opening to land some heavy hands it could spell problems for Sanchez.

Wrestling: 75-25 Jake Ellenberger

The odds are that this is not going to go to the ground and that it will be a stand up battle and that’s not from lack of wrestling skill, it’s more that these two have shown an affinity to stand and throw.

If wrestling does come into play, the edge goes to Ellenberger.  He has a higher number of successful takedowns per fight as well as a ridiculously high takedown defense percentage, stopping 90% of the takedowns attempted on him.

Even if Sanchez wants to take this to the ground, he’ll have a hard time doing so.

Pace: 70-30 Diego Sanchez

This is the area that Ellenberger should be most concerned with.  Sanchez can go full on throughout the course of a three round fight. Even if he’s taking a beating, the gas pedal is to the floor with him. 

The one question is will Sanchez be ready to go at his normal pace having been away from the Octagon since his bout with Martin Kampmann on March 3, 2011?  That’s a long time away and no amount of training or sparring can emulate a UFC fight. 

Since February of last year Ellenberger has fought three times to Sanchez’s one.

Clinch: 70-30 Jake Ellenberger

This one goes to Ellenberger due to his power.  If he gets in close he can throw heavy and hard strikes that can end it in a heartbeat.  Look for Sanchez to stay away from the clinch.

Further Reading: Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger sound off on their UFC on Fuel fight

UFC fighter Diego Sanchez at a training session in Anaheim, California, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007.  Photo credit: Francis Specker