Diego Sanchez is the real deal.

Last night he quieted all of his critics with and aggressive and hard fought unanimous victory over a very game Karo Parisyan.

After so-so wins against Nick Diaz and John Alessio, Sanchez proved that he truly is ready for the big time with a dominating performance. In particular, his third-round onslaught helped him secure a unanimous decision at the Red Rock Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The victory eventually gives him a title shot against the either champion Matt Hughes or Georges St. Pierre after their bout at UFC 63 on September 23.

The other fights on the card were also entertaining. Chris Leben, still reeling from a devastating and embarrassing loss at the hands of Anderson Silva, returned to the Octagon and let Jorge Santiago know what a ‘Crippler’ knuckle sandwich tastes and feels like.

Here are the rest of the results:

–Dean Lister defeated Yuki Sasaki via unanimous decision
–Josh Koscheck defeated Jonathan Goulet via TKO in round 1
–Martin Kampmann defeated Crafton Wallace via rear naked choke in round 1
–Joe Riggs defeated Jason Von Flue via triangle choke in round 1
–Jake O’Brien defeated Christophe Midoux via TKO in round 2
–Forrest Petz defeated Sammy Morgan by unanimous decision
–Anthony Torres defeated Pat Healy via rear naked choke in round 1