Diego Sanchez Going Back to Welterweight

Yea I think everyone saw that coming after his loss.

I don't understand this decision, I guess. I think he can still be one of the absolute top lightweights in the UFC... At welterweight, though, he's still extremely unlikely to beat GSP; and he has much better competition, so he's more likely to lose numerous fights in a row, thus having the potential to lose his job in the UFC.

Maybe it's just a matter of him not wanting to shed those extra 15 lbs. for weigh-ins... LoL.

Yer, I think Sanchez at Welterweight is a pretty good and only move he could have done, I can't wait to see who he fights next!

This is the best move for everyone involved. At 155 he'd be good enough to likely beat most,if not all,the viable contenders, but probably won't excel enough to do better than he did the first time against BJ. At 170, the glass ceiling is at least a bit higher above his head. Though I still don't think he can obtain a title at WW with GSP looming over him in the skills department.

I'm wondering if Diego just knew from his loss to Penn that he'd achieved all he was capable of at 155, and decided to chase some loose ends at 170.

He also may have noticed, with Dan Hardy getting a shot at Georges St. Pierre, that you don't necessarily have to be a longtime world-beater these days to stumble into a title shot at welterweight. Sanchez isn't going to beat GSP, but he is probably capable of winning at the level of Dan Hardy... which is apparently good enough to get you into title contention right now.

Assuming GSP beats Hardy, if Kos gets past Daley, I'd consider Kos the frontrunner to get the next crack at GSP. If he loses -- so long as Sanchez doesn't lose to whomever he fights in the meantime -- we're pretty certain to see Kos vs. Sanchez II.

If Sanchez can pull off a win in the rematch, it's not outside the realm of possibility that he could have a title shot at GSP in a year or so. Whereas if he stayed at 155 after getting humbled by Penn, he'd just fight an endless string of really good contenders, but even if he keeps winning, he's probably not earning another shot at Penn for a long time.