Diego Sanchez out of UFC 135; Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck in the works
Posted on September 5, 2011, 04:43 PM by Trent Reinsmith
Diego Sanchez has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming UFC 135 fight card due to a hand injury.
UFC President Dana White broke the news via twitter:
Diego Sanchez broke his hand. Looking for a replacement for Hughes.
Sanchez had been booked to meet UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes on September 24 in Denver. Hughes has not fought since suffering a 21 second knockout loss to BJ Penn on November 20, 2010 at UFC 123.
Sanchez is on a two-fight winning streak, with both of those fights, unanimous decision wins over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann earning “Fight of the Night” bonuses for the fighter formerly known as “Nightmare.”
UPDATE:
According to his personal Twitter account, former title challenger Josh Koscheck has been tabbed as a replacement for Sanchez, but is still awaiting confirmation from the UFC. Koscheck has been inactive due to injury since his failed attempt at dethroning Georges St. Pierre last December and was initially expected to take part in the promotion's November debut in San Jose, California. If Hughes accepts, he'll face the former champ on less than three weeks notice.
Oh ya 19 days then or something like that!!!! Either way it looks like I am in to fight matt Hugh if he takes it????
Keep it locked on LowKick.com for more information as it becomes available.
UFC fighter Diego Sanchez at a training session in Anaheim, California, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007. Photo credit: Francis Specker
Comments
give him macdonald
no nvm i hope kos gets it!!!!!!!!!!!!
hey why is everyone hating on this post, this fight gives hughes more to win IMO. koscheck was just the no. 1 contender, and sanchez was a few wins away from a ww title shot, and he was coming off a fight that i thought he lost. so yea KOSCHECK mother****ers WAR!
Yeah..... think it is a bad fight for Kos I dont even like the guy but
to take a well trained Matt Hughes that was just Training for a
unpredictable Diago that can go 3 rds then dance the cha cha cha
yeah would be his first fight back after a huge devastating loss and a
very bad injury to his eye which that and the loss will mess with
his head and to fight a big name fighter that has the same style fight
and only 19 days to prepare mind and body cant get a rhythm or peak
just bad idea he should take his time and do it right and make another run if rushes it ..,will blow his shot
Was just gonna say that! Rory Macdonald or Jon Fitch if he's ready. Or pull Rumble Johnson from his fight with Brenneman
good news for hughes
Sort of. Diego was going to hurt him but they aren't going to give Hughes anyone who isn't in the top 15-20 of the WW division and I don't see Hughes beating too many of them. His striking has improved but he is still a mediocre fighter and these days he is a pretty small WW.
Hughes a Mediocre fighter? sit your as down and stfu.. !!
Yes he is. He was champ at a time when the WW division was still pretty weak and he doesn't stack up against the more well rounded guys. If you have a more intelligent argument than sit down and stfu I am willing to listen but the fact is Hughes has excellent wrestling, poor stand up and average to good submissions. He doesn't suck but he was never that great.
Now that SUCKS !
Brian Ebersole!!!!
i think Kos could beat Hughes but 19 days isnt a lot of time, espessially if you thought your next fight was at 185.
Maybe it will be at a catchweight. Hughes isn't exactly a small WW himself. I don't think Kos would agree to fight if his weight was going to be an issue.
I disagree. Hughes used to count as a big WW but these days guys are cutting from as much as 200 lbs to WW. I know a dude who cuts from 205-210 and fights at WW. Look at Thiago Alves and Rumble Johnson. Those are big WW. Even GSP is bigger than Hughes these days.
Wow. You took "not exactly small" and turned it into "one of the biggest." Way to find something to disagree on. Hughes has fought at catchweights before and been successful. He walks around at around 200 pounds and is just as big as Thiago Alves (who is only 5-9 and doesn't have the biggest frame). Nobody at WW is as big as Rumble Johnson - that guy is huge.
But he's fighting a guy in Kos who is a natural WW, so if it has to be at a catchweight, that means Kos is not in peak shape = advantage Hughes.
My point was that there would be no significant size advantage either way, not that Hughes is the Godzilla of the WW division.
@mousasi. No man. I didn't think you were saying he was one of the biggest I just could have worded that better. He is one of the smaller ww's at this time though. He really isn't that much bigger than BJ and Serra. He is only 5'9" and weighs @ 185-190. Watch the Alves V Hughes fight. It looks like Big McLargehuge fighting a dwarf.
@en09si. GSP has a very high percentage of muscle to fat but he is only around 190. That isn't big these days in the WW division.
what do you mean 'even' GSP. GSP is literally a mountain of muscle
This sucks. I was looking forward to this fight. Hopefully they will do a rematch of Serra V Hughes so Serra can retire him this time. "Matt Hughes is a di(K!"
I like this fight, Matt is one of my all time favorite fighters, KOS is coming off a championship fight, if Matt wins it moves him up the ranks again, hope for one last run at the belt !
dont no why everyone is hating on this , would have liked to see sanchez vs hughes but kos vs hughes is also a great match up