Jake Ellenberger won a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)UFC president Dana White has always said he's listening to fans and fighter. After a stunning come-from-behind third round on Wednesday night by Diego Sanchez against Jake Ellenberger, the message was loud, clear and consistent.
All main events should be five rounds.
Sanchez, who lost the unanimous 29-28 decision on the premier card for the UFC on Fuel TV, had mounted an unlikely, and thrilling comeback in the final moments of the third round in Omaha, leaving many fight fans to wonder what would happen if the fight had gone an extra ten minutes.
"We blew it," said White in the post-fight press conference. "It should have been a five round fight."
The UFC has some contractual obligations that might limit their ability to immediately make all main events five rounds, but White assured fans that the promotion is putting in the work to make it happen.
"Somebody dropped the ball," said White.
The move to five rounds might've meant that Sanchez, a fighter known to take abuse before making his move, could've overcome the early two rounds he gave up to the wrestler Ellenberger.
Momentum had certainly shifted in favor of Sanchez.
Sanchez used a mistake by Ellenberger with 90 seconds remaining to take down the former University of Nebraska-Omaha wrestler, and secure top position and ended in mount trying to finish Ellenberger with strikes. After a scramble Sanchez then converted to Ellenberger's back. He was unable to secure the hooks and was threatening to get a rear-naked., but couldn't lock it in. Though he wasn't able to earn the stoppage and also stopped just short of being able to earn a 10-8 round to force a draw.
Ellenberger left the cage as bloodied and disappointed as Sanchez.
The seemingly hasty decision to make the move to a consistent five round format wasn't without precedence. The first non-title fight to go five rounds was Leben vs. Munoz at 138 in Nottingham, England. The contract with Fuel TV didn't call for five rounds, and once the contractual obligations the UFC are complete all main events (42 events in 2012) will feature a main event at five rounds.
The change of policy does mean that last-minute replacements will all be pinched between the draw of being on the top of the card, and the extra conditioning that's necessary to be competitive in the last two "championship" rounds.
Recent events have been wrought with injuries meaning that fighters have not only had to trade in their competitive techniques (adjusting from one opponent to another), but now their training regiments will need to keep in mind that three rounds could soon become five.
As fans saw with Shogun vs. Henderson those last two rounds of conditioning could mean the difference between a unanimous decision and a "Fight of the Century." Wednesday's Sanchez vs. Ellenberger fight was on Fuel, and that a free TV fight might have slipped away from UFC brass was a drug dealer giving bad product.
The UFC listens to fans, but they also look at the bottom line, and a five round title event last night could have meant more PPV buys for years to come.
When it comes to fans, fighters and finances, Dana White's ears and eyes are always wide open.
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