• Photo Showcase: UFC on Fuel, Feb. 15
* * *
Jake Ellenberger did his work early, allowing him to celebrate with 6,238 of his closest friends later.
After winning the first two rounds of his welterweight showdown with Diego Sanchez, the Omaha native withstood a late barrage to pull out a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC on Fuel I at the Civic Auditorium.
“Man, it was electric out there,” Ellenberger said about fighting in front of a home crowd. “It was a little overwhelming coming out.”
He looked like he had settled in through two rounds. His combination in the first put Sanchez on his back side, and he capped the second round with a good dose of ground and pound against the fighter from Albuquerque, N.M.
After the bell rang to close the second, Ellenberger got up and had a few words for Sanchez, who wasn't to his feet yet.
The third round was worth the price of admission itself, and it got even better in the final two minutes. Sanchez caught Ellenberger with a shot on the button moments after opening a cut on him.
Sanchez backed Ellenberger into the cage, but was quickly on his back again when Ellenberger scored a takedown that set off an eruption from the crowd.
The hometown hero wasn't out of trouble yet, though. Sanchez spent the final minute plus on top of Ellenberger pounding away with punches that were met with only a duck-and-cover approach from Ellenberger.
“I saw blood,” Sanchez said. “I saw red. I just thought I was going to get the TKO. I should have gone for the choke.”
As the seconds ticked down, the crowd got louder and fueled Ellenberger's late escape.
Ellenberger said he knew he would have to grind out a win.
“At no time in the fight are you comfortable,” he said. “He could easily knock someone out in a punch. He had me in a bad position in the third round, for sure.”
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Ellenberger, who had entered the night ranked third at 170 pounds.
“The decision was correct,” Sanchez said. “He won two rounds. I won the other round. Jake earned it. My hat's off to him.”
Both UFC President Dana White and Sanchez said they wish that the fight had been a five-rounder. White went as far as to say he was mad at himself.
“We blew it tonight,” White said. “It should have been a five-round fight.”
That didn't stop White from commending Ellenberger and how he was able to complete the win.
“Fighting Diego Sanchez is like fighting a zombie,” White said. “Beating a guy like Diego Sanchez means something.”
Sanchez heaped equal admiration on Ellenberger.
“I think he's the toughest guy in the division,” Sanchez said.
Contact the writer:
402-850-0781, nickrubek@gmail.com
twitter.com/nickrubek
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
