UFC Fight Night 60 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Henderson vs. Thatch Card
Benson "Smooth" Henderson is an all-time great. He cemented that status with a fourth-round submission victory over the young and dangerous Brandon "Rukus" Thatch on Saturday night. With Henderson having already held the WEC and UFC lightweight titles, success at 170 pounds is a serious accomplishment.
Slowly, but surely, Henderson broke down the younger and naturally bigger opponent and used an expertly applied rear-naked choke to pull off the improbable victory at UFC Fight Night 60.
Bleacher Report MMA reacted to the victory.
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Henderson didn't just beat a very good young fighter; he stepped up from 155 pounds to 170 to win a fight few gave him a chance to win.
Early in the bout, Thatch's power looked to be too much for Henderson. Once the bout reached the championship rounds, fatigue and inexperience were Thatch's downfall. He gave up his back twice on the ground, and the second time opened the door for Henderson's fantastic finish.
MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani chimed in on Henderson's win:
Want more sauce on this delicious upset? Henderson stepped up on short notice after Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson had to bow out due to injury. It was a tall task for Henderson—literally and figuratively—considering Thatch is 6'2" and Smooth is only 5'9". It was one heck of a statement performance from a man who has had some tough losses recently in his career.
After the fight, Henderson hinted that he might stay at 170 pounds. He seemed to call out Rory MacDonald with this quote captured by the UFC:
That sounds intriguing, but for now we should all enjoy a performance that none should soon forget. Here's a look at the results from the rest of the card.
Just below the table are a breakdown and reaction from the fights on the card.
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| James Moontasri vs. Cody Pfister | Lightweight | Moontasri by submission (rear-naked choke in second round) |
| Zach Makovsky vs. Tim Elliott | Flyweight | Makovsky by unanimous decision (29-28x3) |
| Chas Skelly vs. Jim Alers | Featherweight | Skelly by TKO (second round) |
| Efrain Escudero vs. Rodrigo de Lima | Lightweight | Escudero by unanimous decision (30-27) |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades | Flyweight | Borg by submission (kimura in third round) |
| Michel Prazeres vs. Kevin Lee | Lightweight | Lee by unanimous decision (30-27x2, 29-28) |
| Dan Kelly vs. Patrick Walsh | Middleweight | Kelly by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28x2) |
| Neil Magny vs. Kiichi Kunimoto | Welterweight | Magny by submission (rear-naked choke in third round) |
| Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller | Featherweight | Holloway by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28x2) |
| Benson Henderson vs. Brandon Thatch | Welterweight | Henderson by submission (rear-naked choke in fourth round) |
The Moonwalker Tramples Pfister
After a solid first round, James "Moonwalker" Moontasri choked out Cody Pfister to grab his eighth professional win. Moontasri rocked Pfister with a hard right hand. The punch created the opening for him to take his opponent's back.
Once he sunk the hooks in, it was just a matter of time before Moontasri got his arm under Pfister's chin and finished the bout with the rear-naked choke.
Makovsky Beats Elliott at Torrid Pace
In an early favorite for Fight of the Night honors, Zach "Fun Size" Makovsky kept pace with the wild and unpredictable Tim Elliott en route to a unanimous-decision win.
Mookie Alexander of Bloody Elbow was hoping Makovsky and Elliott would earn the bonus:
Makovsky's wrestling was the difference, but Elliott had some strong moments. With Fun Size glued to his back, Elliott pulled off two bone-rattling slams, but his tough and determined opponent still wouldn't relinquish his grip.
Unable to do the work he hoped to perform, Elliott was at Makovsky's mercy on the ground, and that's where most of the fight took place. Makovsky landed 54 significant strikes to 46 for Elliott. Fun Size also secured five takedowns to none for Elliott.
To round out the statistical dominance, Makovsky spent 9:56 in dominant position.
Skelly Vanquishes Alers
Previously, Chas Skelly had been known for his grappling and submission prowess. On Saturday night, he proved he could bang in the stand-up game.
Skelly consistently found a home for his overhand right, and, foolishly, Jim Alers wouldn't raise his left hand to protect himself from the shot. After landing a good number of the punches in the first round, Skelly badly hurt Alers in the second.
Alers fell into the cage, went to a knee and put his right hand on the mat. Skelly didn't appear to see it, and he landed a knee flush to the face of Alers. The referee looked as if he was on his way to stopping the bout, but the technically illegal knee added some controversy to the ending.
Rob Tatum of Combat Press thinks Alers should take issue with the no-call from the referee:
Knee or no knee, Skelly earned the win. The last blow should be charged to the game.
Escudero Outlasts De Lima
To put it plainly, Efrain Escudero beat up Rodrigo De Lima for three rounds. Escudero out-landed De Lima 94-24 in regard to significant strikes. De Lima had few bright spots as Escudero's pressure overwhelmed him the entire night.
The win was the 24th of Escudero's career, and it was pretty easy for the most part. It's been a long time as Mike Bohn of USA Today indicates, but after a long absence, Escudero is back in the UFC win column:
His stay in the UFC could be longer this time around.
Borg Submits Kelades
After a dominating first round, Ray Borg put the ultimate whammy on Chris Kelades in the third round with a submission via kimura. From the outset, it seemed as if it was just a matter of time before Borg finished Kelades.
Borg completed five takedowns and landed 19 significant strikes to completely stamp out Kelades' offense. MMA Fighting admired Borg's performance:
It was a workmanlike effort for Borg, but I'm not sure it was enough to have Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson shaking in his boots. It's still nice to see a potential new challenger start to work his way up the 125-pound ladder.
Lee Too Quick and Skilled for Prazeres
With well-timed takedowns and lightning-fast jabs and straight punches, Kevin Lee picked Michel Prazeres apart en route to a clear unanimous-decision victory.
Women's bantamweight Sarah Kaufman perceptively called the turning point in the fight:
Lee smartly kept the fight on his terms by mixing up strikes and only taking the bout to the mat when he had the clear advantage. Prazeres was the stronger fighter physically, and he had a bright spot when he landed a solid strike to Lee's right eye.
Lee shook off the shot and took care of business with superior technique and cardio.
Dan Kelly Bores Us and Beats Patrick Walsh
In one of the worst fights in the last three UFC events, Dan Kelly outstruck Patrick Walsh. Aside from a late takedown in the first round, Walsh simply swung wildly with a sloppy stand-up game that was neither effective nor aesthetically pleasing.
Tatum didn't like this fight at all; he wasn't too fond of the card to this point in the night:
Kelly wasn't much better, but at least his punches were straight and thus found the mark a bit more.
Magny Keeps Winning
In a most impressive display, Neil Magny dominated Kiichi Kunimoto and finished him with a rear-naked choke. The victory was the sixth straight for Magny, as UFC on Fox noted, and stopped a seven-fight win streak for Kunimoto:
"Neil Magny has now won six straight fights - the longest streak in the welterweight division #UFCBroomfield
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 15, 2015"
Magny used a huge reach advantage to buzz Kunimoto from the outside. The former owned a 76-10 edge in significant strikes. Once Magny gained an advantage with his hands, he immediately went for the takedown.
He scored a total of three in the fight. Kunimoto seemed defenseless against the takedowns, and Magny had his way with the fight on the ground.
Kunimoto narrowly escaped the finish at the end of the second round, but Magny wasted no time putting him in peril to begin the third. The win should put Magny in the Top 15 or higher. If he keeps rolling, he could be a serious contender for a title shot in mid-to-late 2016.
Holloway's Boxing Too Much for Miller
Two incidental head butts opened up a nasty gash above Cole Miller's left eye, but Max Holloway did most of the official damage with his quick hands, educated feet and pure speed.
Holloway negated Miller's reach advantage by varying his attacking angles, switching stances and levels to befuddle the UFC veteran. The head butts were a factor as it appeared Miller lost his concentration after the accidental strikes.
Still, Holloway looked to be on his way to a win nonetheless. He has now won six fights in a row, and per the Fox Sports 1 broadcast, Holloway is set up to face Cub Swanson. That could be a striking fans dream as both men have excellent stand-up games. Swanson seems excited about the possibility:
Hopefully, the injury bug doesn't take that one away from us.
All stats per UFC.com.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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