Diego Sanchez announced via his Twitter account that he will be making the move up to welterweight in 2010, stating:

“YES IM GOING BACK TO WELTERWEIGHT IM LOVING MY NEW DIET. I WANT KOS OR FITCH BUT ANY TOP GUY WILL DO JUST WANT TO GIVE U FANS THE BEST FIGHT”

An official announcement not been made regarding whom Sanchez will face next, though it seems clear that Sanchez believes he still deserves a shot at a top contender despite the horrific beat down he received in his last appearance against UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn back in December. Regardless of whom his opponent will be, moving up in weight class seems to be a smart decision given that Penn has been king of 155lbs. for over two years now and shows no sign of letting up anytime soon.

However, the welterweight division does not offer a much easier road to the title as Georges St. Pierre has dominated that weight class for nearly three years, and successfully defended his strap four times since taking the title from Matt Serra back in April 2008. Beyond St. Pierre there is tremendous depth at 170lbs. with fighters such as Paulo Thiago, Josh Koshcheck, Thiago Alves, Paul Daley and Dan Hardy to name just a few, which basically means that there is no clear path to the title and it will be a bumpy road no matter which way it takes him.

Interestingly, there are also rumors circulating this week that Nate Diaz will be making the move up to welterweight as well, which could set the stage for a Sanchez vs Diaz ‘welcome back’ bout as both fighters have previously fought at the heavier weight. As soon as an official announcement is made, FightScoops will keep you informed!

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