Would a prime Diego Sanchez be a top LW today?

[NILLI]

No

 

[Nelly]

He struggles against guys that he can't take down and this happened many times.

 

[Sleepdancer]

I don't think going in a straight line all the time flies anymore.

 

[Mike]

No and Diego Sanchez wasnt even a top LW in his heyday. The UFC was weak as fuck. BJ Penn and Sean Sherk were the only strong fighters until Frankie came in and then the WEC guys.

The only reason rankings had so many UFC guys in the top 10 was because it was the most accessible. LW was littered with top guys from DREAM, Sengoku, Shooto, Strikeforce, etc.

People tend to forget, but Diego got his title shot off of decision wins over Guida and Stevenson. Not super impressive in hindsight. Diego likes to brawl but has mediocre power. Good grappling but lousy takedowns. He's a perplexing fighter, started off a prospect with TONS of potential and then just..... regressed for the next decade.

 

[Mike]

Prime Sanchez? Really good chance I'd say. Conor wouldn't beat him, neither would Dustin Porier. Shit I think he'd even give khabib and Kevin Lee really tough fights.

Diego was a skilled beast. Technician on the ground. But he fell in love with his Mexican warrior side.

Conor wouldn't beat him? Are you high? He's got mediocre wrestling and sloppy standup. Everyone you listed except MAYBE Poirer would beat his ass. Tbh Poirer probably would too. He's better everywhere except his chin.

 

[emax]

I think this is where you can separate the fans who've really been following closely since the sport was just beginning to break through, or even prior, vs the bandwagoners. The version of Sancehz who dominated Nick Diaz on the ground could clearly have been able to enhance his strengths to the point where he'd be a genuine top 10 LW today. As for his major loss to BJ Penn in 2009, well again, some of that also has to do with forgetting just how much of a titan Penn was back then as well, along with the fact that, as others noted, Sanchez had already moved into his wannabe striker mode which led to his decline.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

Hell yeah, and it had nothing to do with him being "prime" Diego and or out of his-prime... wasnt the issue at all. The problem was that Diego had the most relentless ground and pound in the division at the time. He beat Nick Diaz on the ground among others. The problem was he fell in love with a couple KO's and thought he was a striker and he basically ditched the game that brought him to the dance to begin with. Diego would have been champion I truly believe if he had continued to hone his grappling, BJJ, and wrestling all which were already great along with a never ending cardio and GRANITE chin. He would have been champ.

Wanting to Become a striker was his downfall

I think his lack of wrestling in the latter years has more to do with his opponents being better at stopping takedowns than anything else. He was considered a good wrestler by MMA standards back when just wrestling in high school was good enough. That was at a time when Josh Koscheck was a elite wrestler in MMA simply because he wrestled in college. Now, you have Olympic level wrestlers entering MMA. You have to be a much better wrestler to compete with those guys. The game just passed him by. So I don’t think he would do any better today if he were in his prime. He would do much worse.

 

[Mike]

I think this is where you can separate the fans who've really been following closely since the sport was just beginning to break through, or even prior, vs the bandwagoners. The version of Sancehz who dominated Nick Diaz on the ground could clearly have been able to enhance his strengths to the point where he'd be a genuine top 10 LW today. As for his major loss to BJ Penn in 2009, well again, some of that also has to do with forgetting just how much of a titan Penn was back then as well, along with the fact that, as others noted, Sanchez had already moved into his wannabe striker mode which led to his decline.

Or, you know, people might just disagree with you. Just because someone doesn't share your opinion doesn't mean they're a filthy casual. Nick isn't the best example as he has bad TDD, especially waaaaay back when they fought. Diego is a good fighter but he isn't elite in anything except toughness. Good strikers beat him up, good wrestlers can take him down. He has good bjj, but again he's not elite there. That's been the story for the vast majority of his career.


He had some flashes of greatness, but a lot of young prospects do. Ultimately all his career highlights are from a decade or more ago, he's been regressing for the majority of his career.

 

[Mike]

I think his lack of wrestling in the latter years has more to do with his opponents being better at stopping takedowns than anything else. He was considered a good wrestler by MMA standards back when just wrestling in high school was good enough. That was at a time when Josh Koscheck was a elite wrestler in MMA simply because he wrestled in college. Now, you have Olympic level wrestlers entering MMA. You have to be a much better wrestler to compete with those guys. The game just passed him by. So I don’t think he would do any better today if he were in his prime. He would do much worse.

The only elite fighters he outgrappled in his entire career are Karo and MAYBE Nick if you count him. Over a 15+ year career. I don't know why people are acting like he was some division one wrestler now. His wrestling has ALWAYS been slightly above average at best,.

 

[Magnum1978]

Possibly.

He was a beast back in the day.

Craziest shit was him dominating Nick Diaz, even on the ground.

Sanchez was a force to be reckoned with.

Absolutely. Diaz/Sanchez is a highly underrated fight

 

[IDGETKTFO]

If it wasn't for Dan Quin and stevia, he would probably be LW champ right now.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

The only elite fighters he outgrappled in his entire career are Karo and MAYBE Nick if you count him. Over a 15+ year career. I don't know why people are acting like he was some division one wrestler now. His wrestling has ALWAYS been slightly above average at best,.

Yes. Exactly. He was a very good high school level wrestler. And shortly after he was in the UFC, college level wrestlers started entering the ranks. Nick was never a great wrestler, though he has improved over the years. And wrestlers always match up well with judokas just because of the styles and there being no double legs allowed in judo competition.

 

[MCS]

Diego in his younger years was better at WW, where I'd say he'd be top 10 today.

 

[HaulParris]

In his younger years his wrestling and ground game was top notch. Remember the beatdown he put on Josh Rafferty?

He had some spectacular moments in the standup as well:

Diego was a beast.

I think he would be competitive. Over the last decade, the combination of punishment/injuries/abandoning wrestling has left him a battered shell of what he was.

 

[VIPERdude]

I'm just quoting what I've been reading around these parts lately about Bj Penn.

About Diego, he couldn't do nothing or show his ground game because Bj completely nullified every TD attempt.

I stopped seeing Diego even attempt a takedown since he knocked out Joe Riggs.

 

[Hollywood Jack]

The game done changed.

 

[MayhemMonkey]

no

 

[VIPERdude]

I agree with almost all of this. I only don't think he would've ever beaten GSP, and only would have a chance against BJ if he weren't into the fight.
Franki could've been interesting, if Diego continued to grow as a grappler and striker (remember Frankie stopped Sherk's shots after only BJ and GSP could).

Hanging out with Fernando Vargss was his undoing. He's most likely literally ruined his future from being a brawler.

I agree, but at the time MMA was still growing along with Diego, could Diego be champion today? Nah, back when Forrest Griffin was? I believe so. I feel hed give Sherk who was champ problems. Also at the time even Frankie wasnt as good as he is today, he was almost finished by Grey Maynard who he would destroy again today within round 1. Diego vs the Edgar at that time would have been a barn burner.

 

[Tuf_guy]

I agree, but at the time MMA was still growing along with Diego, could Diego be champion today? Nah, back when Forrest Griffin was? I believe so. I feel hed give Sherk who was champ problems. Also at the time even Frankie wasnt as good as he is today, he was almost finished by Grey Maynard who he would destroy again today within round 1. Diego vs the Edgar at that time would have been a barn burner.

Yeah. He's the only champion around Diego's time that he could've beaten, I think. He still is a better wrestler and boxer. If he took Diego down, that might even be to Diego's advantage, along with a slugfest where Diego might catch him with a good shot. I think Frankie would edge Diego out if it were a striking match, but maybe Diego do enough there.

 

[drbolony]

Conor wouldn't beat him? Are you high? He's got mediocre wrestling and sloppy standup. Everyone you listed except MAYBE Poirer would beat his ass. Tbh Poirer probably would too. He's better everywhere except his chin.

Dude.... You've had an account since 2010. I'm disappoint.