• Photo Showcase: UFC on Fuel, Feb. 15
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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.
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WEDNESDAY'S OTHER FIGHTS
• Stefan Struve added another quality win to his young fighting résumé. The 23-year old sensation, a 6-foot-11 heavyweight, stopped Dave Herman in the second round of their fight.
Struve, after taking some shots in the first round, battered Herman in the second before the official stepped in to stop things.
“I saw he was getting tired,” Struve said. “(I was) pushing the pace in the second round. My trainer was yelling at me to push the pace in the first round, too.”
• Ronny Markes earned a split decision over Aaron Simpson in a middleweight bout, but wasn't in much of a celebratory mood afterward. Markes was wincing in pain.
“I feel really bad right now because my hand is broken,” Markes said. “I am going to go and take care of that and then wait and look forward to my next fight when I am healed and ready.”
Said Simpson, who grew up in McCook, Neb.: “I feel we both won. It was a great fight.”
• Heavyweight Stipe Miocic wasted little time in his knockout of Philip De Fries. Miocic was all over De Fries from the start, and he finished things in just 43 seconds.
“The beginning of the fight wasn't great, but then I threw one solid right hand and bam,” Miocic said. “He was throwing some punches and kept hitting me and it wasn't fun. Then he left himself open and I caught him with the right and got the W.”
• T.J. Dillashaw controlled from the jump and swept the scorecards for a victory over Walel Watson in a bantamweight showdown. Dillashaw was on top and effective for the duration of the first two rounds before getting to the same spot later in the third.
• Ivan Menjivar defeated John Albert with a first-round submission in their bantamweight battle. Menjivar nearly had the fight stopped on him when Albert landed several quality punches. But Menjivar got out of trouble.
• Jonathan Brookins knocked out Vagner Rocha 1:32 into the first round with a devastating series of punches with Rocha on his back to win the featherweight matchup.
• Lightweight Justin Salas earned a unanimous decision over Anton Kuivanen.
• Tim Means outpointed Bernardo Magalhaes in a unanimous decision at lightweight.
• Sean Loeffler, who was set to make his UFC debut after 12 years of being a pro, suffered an ankle injury warming up, and doctors wouldn't allow him to take part in his scheduled heavyweight bout.
— Nick Rubek
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