Ellenberger returns home for UFC bout vs. veteran Sanchez
Jake Ellenberger’s pursuit of an Ultimate Fighting Championship title has led him back to where it all began.
The Omaha, Neb., native returns to his hometown to face Diego Sanchez tonight in the main event of UFC on Fuel 1. A victory could put Ellenberger in position to challenge Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight title this year should Condit choose to defend the belt while champion Georges St. Pierre recovers from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
While Ellenberger would love to get the chance to avenge a controversial 2009 split decision loss to Condit, he chooses not to talk about the hypotheticals.
“I really haven’t looked past this at all. I have to focus on this fight, and that’s really all I can look at right now. After that, I can start to look forward a little bit and we’ll see,” he said.
The 26-year-old hometown hero was awarded the key to the city of Omaha on Monday, a symbol of the success he has enjoyed in mixed martial arts.
It was a fitting tribute to the fighter who grew up in Omaha, and after wrestling at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, served as an assistant coach for the now-defunct program.
He no longer lives in the city, though. Ellenberger relocated to southern California nearly a year ago to train at some of the top MMA gyms in the nation. The hard work continues to pay off.
He has won five straight fights, including four by knockout, since dropping his UFC debut to Condit. Ellenberger propelled himself into the upper echelon of the 170-pound division with a 53-second knockout of Jake Shields in September.
“The Jake Shields fight was a great win, but you need to look at it one fight at a time,” he said. “Sanchez is a completely different type of fight for me. I’ve really put in the work, I have been around the sport a long time and the hard work and traveling the hard road is really paying off. This is a big opportunity for me.”
Not everything about fighting in your hometown is an advantage. Ellenberger expects a massive cheering section at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, and all of the responsibility for coordinating ticket requests and other such issues could be a distraction.
Ellenberger said his immediate family has done a good job of handling all of those logistical situations, allowing him to focus on the fight.
While Ellenberger has been on a tear, he knows there is still plenty of work to do on his game.
“I’m just always trying to improve my strength and conditioning and my speed and agility in addition to shoring up my striking and transitions,” he said. “Things that I am going to need to continue to improve if I want to achieve my goals in this sport.”
Sanchez, who at age 30 already has been in the UFC for seven years, is looking to put an end to the surging hype around Ellenberger.
One of his motivations is the prevailing opinion that while Ellenberger may be fighting for a title shot, the same doesn’t necessarily apply to Sanchez.
“The fact that people aren’t talking about me for a title shot doesn’t bother me. For me to get that title shot, I’m really going to have to earn it,” Sanchez said. “I’m going to have to go in there and beat the guy who everyone says is going to get the shot. I have to go in and beat him, and I have to beat him convincingly, and that’s what I came to Omaha to do.
“He has those five straight impressive wins over great opponents. When I beat him, I can take those and put them on my record.”
Sanchez said fighting in hostile territory would have bothered him earlier in his career. Now a veteran, he isn’t too concerned.
“I used to get involved in mind games, the fight before the fight. The mental and psychological aspects of the head games,” he said. “But now I’ve realized that once they lock the door it’s just two guys, two men. The decisions that they made in their training camp, the decisions that they made with their life, that’s all that matters and what’s in their hearts.”
The six-fight main card, which airs live on Fuel TV (Cable 319) at 5 p.m., includes a heavyweight matchup between Dave Herman and Stefan Struve. The entire preliminary card will stream live on the UFC Facebook page.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.
