Jake Ellenberger (right) has won five in a row. | Photo: Sherdog.com
UFC on Fuel TV “Ellenberger vs. Sanchez” on Feb. 15 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., has the potential to supply the welterweight division with another worthy title contender, as the surging Jake Ellenberger meets Diego Sanchez in the main event.
Ellenberger (26-5, 5-1 UFC) will carry a five-fight winning streak into the cage. The 26-year-old Reign MMA representative last fought at UFC Fight Night 25 in September, when he needed less than a minute to dismiss Jake Shields with a first-round knee and follow-up punches. A former Marine, Ellenberger wrestled collegiately at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, but he has become known more for his punching power in MMA, with 17 of his 26 career wins coming via knockout or technical knockout. In 31 professional appearances, he has been finished only once.
Anchored at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in his native New Mexico, Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) has rattled off back-to-back wins. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner last appeared at UFC Live 3 in March, when he took a unanimous decision from Martin Kampmann at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Victories over three-time UFC title contender Kenny Florian, former Sengoku Raiden Championship middleweight titleholder Jorge Santiago and onetime Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz buoy his resume. Like Ellenberger, the 30-year-old Sanchez has only been stopped once as a professional.
In the UFC on Fuel TV “Ellenberger vs. Sanchez” heavyweight co-feature, the 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve takes on twice-beaten Team Quest product Dave Herman. A middleweight duel pairing Aaron Simpson with Ronny Markes, a heavyweight tilt pitting Stipe Miocic against fellow unbeaten Philip De Fries and a bantamweight battle matching “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 finalist T.J. Dillashaw with Walel Watson will round out the main draw.
Within Sherdog MMA Pick’Em, players will earn points based on correct match-by-match predictions for a given event. A maximum of 210 points can be picked up in a single match.
Players are awarded 50 points for each correct pick, along with 30 additional points if they choose the correct method: decision, knockout/technical knockout or submission. If the method involves a finish, 30 additional points will be awarded to players who choose the correct round in which the finish occurs. Players are also allowed five boosts per event through which they can notch an additional 100 points for outcomes about which they feel particularly certain. However, any incorrect selections involving boosts will cost the player 50 points.