Following a disappointing loss at UFC 114 against John Hathaway, Diego Sanchez needed to decide whether he would continue fighting at welterweight or go back to lightweight. Sanchez made the decision to stay at welterweight and give it another shot. This past Saturday night at UFC 121, the vintage Diego Sanchez returned and steamrolled through Paulo Thiago in a three round war, with Sanchez earning the unanimous decision. It was the Sanchez’s nonstop pace that turned the fight in his favor once the second round began.

After the tough loss to Hathaway, Sanchez openly admitted that he didn’t take Hathaway seriously enough. This came as a huge surprise to many, as Sanchez has always been one to take every fight more serious than the last. But despite falling off the horse against the young Brit, Sanchez returned to his old ways against Thiago. On paper, the bout looked to be a toss-up between the two, but once Sanchez really turned on the pace, Thiago couldn’t handle it.

Since rejoining the infamous Team Jackson, Sanchez looks like the aggressive fighter that won him the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. With his confidence building, Sanchez will continue to take on tougher opponents in the stacked welterweight division and look to work his way towards a title shot.

Before his fight Saturday Sanchez hinted at possibly moving back down to the lightweight division. Though still an option, don’t expect Sanchez to drop back down to lightweight just yet.