Jake Ellenberger ready for main event

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OMAHA, Neb. -- Rising welterweight prospect Jake Ellenberger looks to take one step closer to UFC gold Wednesday -- and he'll do so in front of his hometown.

Ellenberger (26-5) weighed in at 170 pounds for his UFC on Fuel main event fight against Diego Sanchez. The fight takes place at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, the same building in which Ellenberger graduated from high school.

With finishes in four of his last five fights, Ellenberger hopes to make yet another impression this week.

"It's definitely exciting to come back here and be around my friends and family," Ellenberger said. "I'm focused. I'm coming in and looking to finish him."

Sanchez (23-4), who also weighed in at 170, is coming off back-to-back wins and is 2-1 since rejoining the welterweight division two years ago. A veteran of the UFC, the Albuquerque-based fighter didn't seem concerned about the crowd.

"When they lock the doors, it's just me and him in there," Sanchez said. "That's all that matters."

The Wednesday card marks the first live main card shown on Fuel TV, as part of the seven-year deal the UFC signed with the Fox Network late last year. All fighters set to compete successfully made weight.

In the co-main event, heavyweights Stefan Struve and Dave Herman look to build off wins in their last respective fights. Struve (22-5), who was last seen submitting Pat Barry, came in at 256 pounds. Herman (21-2) weighed 234 pounds.

Brett Okamoto covers mixed martial arts for ESPN.com.

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Brett Okamoto

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• MMA columnist for ESPN.com
• Analyst for "MMA Live"
• Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun