Henderson submits Thatch at UFC Fight Night 60

MANILA, Philippines – Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson pulled off a successful welterweight debut by submitting Brandon Thatch in the main of UFC Fight Night 60 on Sunday, February 15 (PH Time) at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

Henderson, who replaced injured Stephen Thompson on short notice, forced Thatch to wave the white flag at 3:58 of the fourth round with a rear-naked choke.

“Hey, sometimes guys, you’ve got to go out and test yourself. I didn’t know if I could win this. A lot of times, you have to do what you don’t know,” Henderson said in his post-fight interview.

It was expected that the 31-year-old “Smooth” would utilize his grappling and ground expertise against a highly-touted striker with 11 first-round stoppage wins, but Henderson pecked away with jabs and leg kicks before heavily investing in body blows.

Thatch’s size and power became vital factors in the second stanza, where he scored with a pair of trip takedowns and appeared to wobble Henderson with a left uppercut.

“I knew he was going to come out like a monster in the first, and he did. I didn’t want to run away, but dude’s a big dude. So I wanted to be more elusive,” Henderson admitted.

The complexion of the bout began to change in the third frame when Henderson’s corner instructed him to employ his wrestling pedigree.

Henderson then immediately scooped the 6-foot-2 Thatch to the mat and secured a back mount, where he threatened with a neck strangle and closed the round with an armbar attempt.

Thatch repaid his opponent’s drag efforts with a knee to the forehead in round four, but Henderson remained unfazed by ducking under his counterpart’s punches and went for a double-leg takedown.

Henderson maintained a top position, advanced to the back, and cinched the choke when the opportunity presented itself.

With the impressive victory over Thatch, Henderson snaps his two-fight losing skid and places him back on the winning track with a new professional standing of 22-5.

The MMA Lab standout had been non-committal prior to the marquee match-up on whether he would stay at 170 pounds or move back to the 155-pound division, but after the outcome was officially announced at UFC Fight Night 60, Henderson had a change of tone as he issued a challenge to Rory MacDonald, who had his welterweight bout canceled due to a failed drug test by Hector Lombard.

“I hear there’s a big name up in Canada who needs a fight, so if he still needs it, I’m game,” Henderson said.

However, UFC president Dana White dismissed the idea of Henderson facing MacDonald inside the Octagon by revealing that the organization will be announcing the Canadian’s new opponent in the coming days.

“He looked unbelievable tonight against a tough, big guy. It was insane. He looked so good. You know me. I’m not a big fan of small guys moving up to bigger weight classes, but how can you deny him? He looked unbelievable,” White stated.

On the other hand, Thatch halts his stellar ten-fight winning streak and downgrades his prizefighting record to 11-2. – Rappler.com