Ellenberger fends off Sanchez in Omaha UFC on Fuel card

In the same building where Jake Ellenberger received his high school diploma, he officially graduated to true contender status in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division on Wednesday night.

Ellenberger, who has relocated to California, returned home to Omaha, Neb., and won a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC on Fuel 1 in front of a raucous crowd chanting his name.

"Omaha, I love you guys," Ellenberger said to the crowd at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, where his high school graduation ceremony was held. "I just want to thank the UFC for giving me this opportunity. It was an honor to headline an event, especially here in Omaha in front of everybody that I love."

The win puts Ellenberger in position to possibly challenge interim champion Carlos Condit, who won a split decision over Ellenberger in 2009. Condit is believed to favor waiting for champion Georges St. Pierre, but Ellenberger probably is the top candidate if there is a fight in the meantime.

He won his sixth straight fight since the setback to Condit in his UFC debut. Ellenberger controlled the action in the first two rounds and survived a Sanchez rally in the final minutes.

Ellenberger landed several good right hands in the opening round, including one that appeared to break Sanchez’s nose. He also connected with several well-timed knees.

It was more of the same in the second, with Ellenberger securing a takedown after a wild swing and miss by Sanchez.

Ellenberger found himself in trouble in the third round as Sanchez slipped away after a takedown and got Ellenberger’s back. Sanchez spent much of the final two minutes pounding away and trying to secure a choke, to no avail.

"That was a tough position. I was tired, but I just had to fight through. … You just have to stay in there mentally," Ellenberger said of the adversity. "Diego’s known for that, man. He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever fought, and he’s a true warrior. It’s an honor to fight him. He’s been through so many wars. It was a great test for me."

Sanchez said a sprained ankle in camp limited his training.

"I was hitting him with some power shots, and I thought maybe he was going to go out. … It didn’t go my way this time," Sanchez said. "I’ve never fought a guy that tough."

Also on the card, Stefan Struve knocked out Dave Herman in the second round of a heavyweight bout, and Ronny Markes rebounded from a tough first round in his middleweight debut to earn a split-decision victory over Aaron Simpson.

Heavyweight Stipe Miocic remained unbeaten with a 43-second knockout of Philip DeFries, and Ivan Menjivar submitted John Albert in the first round of a back-and-forth fight. T.J. Dillashaw won a resounding decision over Walel Watson.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.