"I am heartbroken that I have to inform MMA fans that I cannot fight Matt Hughes at UFC 135 later this month. I have never physically felt more prepared to compete than I felt for this fight, which makes this even more painful for me. While I do not know right now when I will return, I want to assure all of the fans out there that I will be back in the Octagon as soon as I am 100-percent healthy."

Diego Sanchez releases a statement explaining just how devastated he is at the fact that he was forced to pull out of his co-main event match-up against Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on Sept. 24 in Denver, Colorado. On top of losing out on the opportunity to square off against a former welterweight champion, Sanchez broke his hand and will be on the shelf indefinitely. It's especially unfortunate when one considers "The Dream's" place in the 170-pound division. Two straight wins over highly respectable competition in Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann, respectively, have given him a momentum he hasn't seen since just before he challenged for the lightweight title in 2009. A victory over Hughes wouldn't have garnered him a title shot necessarily, but after consecutive "Fight of the Night" winning performances, it most certainly wouldn't have hurt his case. Two steps forward, one step back.