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."
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