Ellenberger healing following successful surgery, eyes top-10 opponent in return

Jake Ellenberger is a lucky man.

Rather than a mass of ravaged bone and tendon, he broke a single metacarpal on his left hand – the fourth one, to be exact – when he knocked out Sean Pierson this past Saturday at UFC 129. He'll be able to hit stuff again in six to eight weeks following corrective surgery he underwent Tuesday.

That means no zombie hand, as recently seen with UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz's left paw following months of abuse.

As for who Ellenberger (25-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is eyeing following his fourth-consecutive win in the UFC, he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he'd like a top-10 opponent and feels he's earned the opportunity.

He mentions Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields as two ideas. While Sanchez is booked to fight former champ Matt Hughes in the fall, Shields is fresh off a decision loss to champ Georges St-Pierre in the main event of UFC 129.

Ellenberger has wanted to fight Shields for some time, but has instead been paired with the likes of Jon Fitch (in a bout that was canceled), Carlos Eduardo Rocha and Pierson.

Of course, the UFC traditionally pairs recent winners together, and vice versa. Could this be the time to make an exception?

"That's up to (UFC matchmaker) Joe (Silva) and (UFC president) Dana (White)," Ellenberger said. "Whoever they give me, they're getting beat up."

"[Shields] has put an impressive résumé together and is still in the top-10. I'm right on that edge, and I think we match up well together."

The win over Pierson certainly put Ellenberger in a better frame of mind following a close decision win over Rocha in his previous bout at UFC 126 this past February. It was a quick turnaround, but Ellenberger felt he needed to redeem himself.

"I was just more focused than ever," he said. "I got the opportunity to fight Pierson and I was all over it. It was a great feeling to showcase my skills. Physically and mentally, I was completely ready for that fight."

For now, though, it's rest and relaxation time for the Nebraskan. Then, he'll return to Southern California in early June to resume preparation for his next fight, whoever that may be.