5 Reasons to Watch UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch
When the UFC lands in Colorado this weekend, a former champion will make his promotional debut in a new weight class as Benson Henderson steps up on short notice to face Brandon Thatch in an intriguing main event from Broomfield.
Henderson accepted the fight following a very close, controversial loss to Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in his last bout and now tries to avoid a potential three-fight losing streak when he faces one of the fighters touted as the next big thing in the welterweight division.
Also on the card, Max Holloway looks for his fourth straight win and fourth straight finish when he takes on veteran fighter Cole Miller in the co-main event.
The upcoming FOX Sports 1 UFC Fight Night card has plenty of interesting bouts, but we're going to give you five good reasons to make sure and tune in when the action starts on Saturday night from Colorado.
The Benson Henderson Experiment
There's always a certain level of intrigue that surrounds a fighter moving down a weight category while looking for a better competitive edge, but a top-10 competitor and former champion moving up a weight class? Well, that's just fascinating.
Benson Henderson was the best in the world at 155 pounds not too long ago and he's long dabbled with the idea of making a move up to welterweight as his body got bigger and weight cuts got tougher. Now the former champion will bump up to welterweight to see what he can do as a 170-pounder, at least temporarily.
How will Benson Henderson fare at 170 pounds?
Other fighters have made a similar decision with mixed results. B.J. Penn moved up to welterweight and immediately won the title in a shocking upset over Matt Hughes before giving Georges St-Pierre arguably one of the toughest fights of his entire career. Nate Diaz is another lightweight who moved up to 170 pounds before earning a couple quick finishes to his resume. Unfortunately, time ran out on both men.
Penn ended his career in the welterweight division with one-sided losses to Rory MacDonald and Nick Diaz while Nate Diaz felt the brunt of power and size when he dropped fights to MacDonald and Dong Hyun Kim.
So which way will Henderson lean when he makes his welterweight debut Saturday? Can he pick up a big win in a new weight class, or will he get shipped back to the lightweight division off his third straight loss?
Only one way to find out.
Brandon Thatch: The Next Big Thing
A ton of fighters have been labeled this over the years, and it's probably safe to say only a small percentage of them end up panning out into championship wins, or even title shots. Brandon Thatch is the latest prodigy to get the label attached to his name as he looks to make a big push in the welterweight division in 2015.
All the tools are there.
Thatch is an incredible finishing machine. He has 11 career wins, and all came by first-round stoppage. He's not just a big puncher either — although eight wins have come by knockout or TKO. Thatch is very proficient on the ground as well with a slick rear naked choke at his disposal and great mat control with every opponent he's faced so far.
But the jury is still out on Thatch, regardless of his impressive record and recent wins. He's only 2-0 in the UFC, and he's facing a true veteran and former champion in Henderson. Is Thatch the next fighter to crack the top 15, or was he all hype and no substance? We'll find out this weekend.
Max Holloway: The Finishing Machine
Max Holloway has proven to be a serious addition to the featherweight division, and the ceiling on how good he'll be hasn't even been set yet.
This young Hawaiian is a nasty striker with knockout power in both hands and both feet, as well as his knees and elbows. He's a long fighter for the division and doesn't mind mixing things up whether he's on the mat or striking on the feet. Holloway has also proven lately that getting into a scrap with him can be a dangerous affair.
Max Holloway (right) has been racking up the knockouts.
In his last three fights, Holloway has put away each opponent by knockout or TKO, and he'll look to keep that momentum going this weekend against Cole Miller.
Miller is a veteran with legitimate submission skills and he's a tough matchup for anybody at 145 pounds. If Holloway can add Miller's name to his resume as well as another finish to his body of work, this up-and-coming featherweight could be a name to watch in top-10 contention in 2015.
Can Neil Magny Go 6 for 6?
Neil Magny has quietly put together one of the best win streaks in the UFC and currently stands as the fighter with the most consecutive victories in the welterweight division.
The former "Ultimate Fighter" competitor has picked up five wins in a row and he's looked quite impressive in the process. He looks to make it six straight this weekend while facing Japanese fighter Kiichi Kunimoto.
Magny has finished two out of his last three opponents with strikes, so he's definitely not trying to play it safe. With five wins on the books in 2014, he'll try to start out 2015 with a bang.
Plus Magny trains out of Colorado, so he'll certainly have the hometown crowd on his side. Another win could also put Magny closer to the top 15, which is a distinction he would certainly love to earn.
Flyweight Proving Ground
The prelims always offer an interesting matchup, but this weekend's card in Colorado also happens to feature a fight between two of the best flyweights in the world.
Zach Makovsky, who currently sits at No. 10 in the rankings, faces Tim Elliott, the No. 11 fighter in the world at 125 pounds. Both fighters are looking to make a push up the rankings and a win will go a long way towards proving either man is ready for a showdown with a top-five fighter.
A loss, on the other hand, could be devastating.
Makovsky and Elliott are sitting on the outer edge of the top 10 and a defeat would only put them further away from potentially challenging for the flyweight title one day. Which one of these guys is a contender and which is a pretender?
The story will be told when they step into the Octagon together on Saturday night as part of the FOX Sports 1 UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch prelims.
