A key welterweight matchup between Jake Ellenberger (26-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Diego Sanchez (23-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) has been scheduled for February.
MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with sources close to the event that Ellenberger and Sanchez will headline an as-yet-unannounced fight card expected to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
While UFC brass have yet to make an official announcement, additional sources indicated that the event will likely take place in Ellenberger's hometown of Omaha, Neb., and air on FUEL TV.
Omaha's 18,000-seat CenturyLink Center (formerly Qwest Center Omaha) is said to be the leading candidate to host the event, but venue officials declined to comment on the potential booking.
Ellenberger enters the bout on a five-fight win streak that includes back-to-back first-round knockouts of Jake Shields and Sean Pierson. The 26-year-old, who earned "Knockout of the Night" honors for his stoppage of Shields, is actually 9-1 in his past 10 overall fights with the lone loss coming in his UFC debut – a hotly contested split-decision result against current contender-in-waiting Carlos Condit.
Needless to say, a win over Sanchez would do wonders for the fast-rising Ellenberger's position in the ranks.
Meanwhile, "The Dream" Sanchez come into the matchup on the strength of back-to-back "Fight of the Night" wins over Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago. The much needed results ended a two-fight skid that included a failed December 2009 bid for the lightweight title and a disappointing decision loss to John Hathaway in Sanchez's return to the welterweight division.
Sanchez is 6-2 in in past eight appearances, and has earned four "Fight of the Night" bonuses in his past six fights.
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