East meets west as ‘The Fireball Kid’ Takanori Gomi (34/08/1NC) returns to his former stomping ground, to welcome back the irrepressible TUF alumni Diego ‘The Dream’ Sanchez (23/05).
Both fighters are known for there ‘never say die’, all action style but if any more incentive were needed, the UFC’s recent fighter cull and new Strikeforce additions, will have both men looking to make up for lost time and put on a performance worthy of ‘fight of the night’ honors in an ever advancing lightweight division.
After an inconsistent run in the UFC, Gomi will be desperate for success in front of his native crowd, having spent the best part of his career ruling Japan’s PRIDE lightweight division, while Sanchez, returning from a lengthy lay off, will be envisioning his hand being raised once again after dropping back down to 155 pounds.
Fight Breakdown – What bodes well when dissecting this match up is that both athletes epitomize grit, determination and fighting spirit, qualities the UFC management appear to value above any particular technique or fight resume and although neither has developed as much as required in order to keep up with the chasing pack, they have managed to retain what made them so successful in the first place, a sound wrestling base combined with heavy hands that can sway a fight in their favor at a moments notice.
In recent displays Gomi has fought at a more controlled pace and has most certainly tried to temper his erratic ‘rock em’ sock em’ style into a more refined outlay of energy, putting together back-to-back wins since being schooled by former number one lightweight contender Nate Diaz back at UFC 135.
By contrast, Sanchez has jumped from welterweight to lightweight, several times over, in order to try to gain an edge over his opponents after reaching the summit of both divisions yet falling at crucial moments, most recently bested by Jake Ellenberger just over a year ago.
The key for Gomi will be to maintain his composure and not allow the magnitude of the occasion, nor his opponent’s desire to draw him into a reckless brawl, to overcome his newly adopted more measured approach. If he can ally his natural punching power with the technical displays that we have recently seen from him, he could pick his opponent apart and find his range with those ‘pitcher like’ hooks that have served him so well in the past.
In contrast Sanchez must look to impose himself from the outset and drive forward relentlessly in order to overwhelm and demoralize an opponent who has been privy to stamina issues throughout his career. If he can mix things up by combining his pressure striking with energy sapping takedowns, as he has done so successfully in the past, he could capitalize on Gomi’s tendency to lose his form under fire.
Why It Matters – Although you tend to feel that both men have seen better days, styles make fights and this contest has all the ingredients to be one of the more memorable in recent memory. Gomi will be as motivated as any on the card and Sanchez is as determined a fighter as the UFC has on it’s roster, so while it is difficult to make a case for either man being able to make a run back into the title picture, I truly expect an epic battle that will invoke memories of PRIDE’s former glories in the hallowed Super Saitama arena.
Prediction – I believe this fight will go right to the wire as both men battle for supremacy, but with Sanchez’s long lay off allied with Gomi’s hometown advantage, I fancy ‘The Fireball Kid’ to pull off somewhat of an upset and sway the judges by the narrowest of margins, igniting his legions once more.
Takanori Gomi via split decision.
