Diego Sanchez's ascent in his second go-around inside the framework of the UFC welterweight division has been temporarily derailed.
The 29-year-old Sanchez (23-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) was set to face former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (45-8 MMA, 18-6 UFC) at UFC 135 event, which takes place Saturday at Denver's Pepsi Center.
That was until a single right-handed punch connected to the top of his sparring partner's head and instantly changed his trajectory.
"I thought maybe I jammed it," recently Sanchez told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "As soon as I took my glove off at the end of the round I could see my bone moving. Right there on the pointer finger, that metacarpal on the pointer finger, was just completely cracked in half. Fortunately, I'm not going to need surgery."
In fact, the hand is expected to heal fully in four to five weeks. It's more of a momentum killer than anything. Sanchez is fresh off consecutive "Fight of the Night" performances against Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann.
"I look at it like a blessing in disguise," Sanchez said. "Right now, all I can do is work my knees, kicks, and my left hand and my conditioning. I can run hard. There's still a lot I can do and still continue to get better through this injury. That's something I've done throughout my career, through every little injury. There's always something, and you work your way around it, and continue to get better."
While Josh Koscheck fills in against Hughes at UFC 135 this weekend, Sanchez awaits a new fight date and a fresh opponent. It shouldn't be too difficult to find him a quality challenger. The welterweight division remains alive and well.
"I'm confident the UFC will give me a good fight no matter what," Sanchez said. "I'm ready to take on any opponent they put in front of me."
Credit: Derek Bolender at MMAJunkie.com
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