These both come from
UFCJunkie.comI'm putting it behind the cut cause I'm cool that way.
First is a rumored bout between 2 former castmates from the first season of the Ultimate Fighter. The bout as rumored by UFC Junkie would pit Mike "Quick" Swick against Chris "The Crippler" Leben and it could possibly headline a Fight Night 11 show which would air in either August or September. This would be a rematch of a bout that took place before either man was on TUF where Leben got a second round KO.
There had been talk of Swick dropping down to Welterweight after his loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 69 back in April though if he were to fight Leben next it most certainly would be at Middleweight.
Leben is coming off of a loss to Kalib Starnes at UFC 71 in May and has lost 3 of his last 4 fights in the UFC, with a loss to Anderson Silva at Fight Night 5 and Jason MacDonald at UFC 66 being the other two.
The other bout would be at UFC 76 which is scheduled for 9/22 in Anaheim. It is yet another rumored bout for Diego Sanchez.
Rumors first had Sanchez fighting Pride veteran Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at UFC 74 in August. Then earlier this week sherdog quoted an anonimous source as saying that B.J. Penn would be fighting Sanchez in August. However, Penn's camp denied any knowledge of that happening and the website updated their story to reflect it.
So who is the next rumored opponent for Sanchez who is coming off a loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 69? There is talk that it would be rising contender Jon Fitch who is on a 6-fight win streak in the UFC with his most recent victory over Roan Carneiro at Fight Night 10 on 6/12 of this year.
I guess I've heard and even passed on so many stories concerning the next fight for Diego Sanchez that I'll believe it when I see it announced.
However, if these 2 bouts come to pass, I will be one happy man. I am a fan of Swick, and while Leben isn't my favorite fighter in the world he does have skills. As for Fitch and Sanchez, well everyone should know by now that I am a huge fan of Jon Fitch. Thus, seeing him take a step up in competition would interest me greatly.
I should mention that not too long ago it was rumored that we might get Fitch and Karo Parisyan down the line. While I'd also love to see that fight, I'll take any Fitch fight I can get at this point.
Time will tell if either of these fights comes to pass. However, in my case there is a little hope even if it is tempered.Labels: Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez, Fight Night 11, Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC, UFC 76
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