Henderson vs. Thatch: A Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 60
UFC Fight Night 60 continues the UFC's 2015 campaign after a four-event January to open the year.
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson competed at UFC Fight Night 59 and makes a quick turnaround to replace the injured Stephen Thompson against Brandon Thatch. This will be Henderson's first fight at 170 pounds.
Thatch burst onto the UFC scene with back-to-back wins and will headline his first card.
Also in action, featherweights Max Holloway and Cole Miller co-main event the card in Broomfield, Colorado.
This is your complete guide to UFC Fight Night 60 complete with predictions for the entire card. My prediction record for 2015 has gotten off to a rough start (26-20 overall, 11-7 main card only). It is time to turn it around with a better showing for the UFC's Valentine's Day card.
The holiday event lacks star power, but it will not be short on excitement. Let's run down the event fight-by-fight and show you why you won't want to miss UFC Fight Night 60.
James Moontasri vs. Cody Pfister
1 of 11
Division: Lightweight
Records: James Moontasri (7-2), Cody Pfister (11-3-1)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
The lone Fight Pass preliminary bout features two young lightweights trying to make a statement.
James Moontasri will make his second UFC appearance, and Cody Pfister will make his organizational debut. Moontasri is 0-1 in the UFC after coming up just short against touted prospect Joe Ellenberger.
Pfister has not lost a bout since 2011, but I expect him to drop the bout to Moontasri.
With Octagon experience under his belt, Moontasri will return in fine form. It will be a competitive bout to open the event. Pfister will make it the full 15 minutes, but fail to get the nod on the scorecards.
Prediction: Moontasri, Decision
Zach Makovsky vs. Tim Elliot
2 of 11
Division: Flyweight
Records: Zach Makovsky (18-5), Tim Elliot (10-5-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
No. 10-ranked flyweight contender Zach Makovsky and No. 11-ranked Tim Elliot open the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card at 8 p.m. ET.
Makovsky was on his way up the flyweight ladder before getting sidetracked by Jussier Formiga. Elliot is on a two-fight skid of his own after losing to Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez. This is a class bout buried on the undercard.
Makovsky is the safe pick here, but he will have his work cut out for him even on the canvas. While Makovsky is a talented wrestler, Elliot has a very active guard. Makovsky was good enough to survive against Formiga, and that is enough reason to believe he can handle Elliot's craftiness.
A second straight decision to open the card.
Prediction: Makovsky, Decision
Chas Skelly vs. Jim Alers
3 of 11
Division: Featherweight
Records: Chas Skelly (13-1), Jim Alers (13-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The two featherweights have matching records and are on winning streaks.
Chas Skelly has won back-to-back fights after his first pro loss against Mirsad Bektic in his UFC debut. Alers' UFC debut against Alan Omer was a narrow split-decision victory.
Alers is on a longer win streak, but Skelly's last two outings are more impressive. Skelly's showing against Sean Soriano put him on the list of featherweights to watch. That experience will be the difference at UFC Fight Night 60.
Skelly is on a roll. He finishes Alers for the first finish of of the event.
Prediction: Skelly, Submission, Round 1
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Efrain Escudero vs. Rodrigo De Lima
4 of 11
Division: Lightweight
Records: Efrain Escudero (22-9), Rodrigo de Lima (8-2-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Efrain Escudero, former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, will seek his first UFC win since 2010 when he meets Rodrigo "Monstro" de Lima.
Monstro is gifted on the mat, and that may serve him well against Escudero as he drops to lightweight. This is another well-matched fight, but I am going to side with Escudero.
Escudero is well-rounded enough to score points against Monstro and survive if he gets in a bad position. This matchup is a coin flip, but Escudero is good enough to get this win. I don't think either fighter has a high ceiling in the division, but this will keep Escudero employed by the UFC for at least one more fight.
Prediction: Escudero, Decision
NIk Lentz vs. Levan Makashvili
5 of 11
Division: Featherweight
Records: Nik Lentz (27-6-2, 1 NC), Levan Makashvili (9-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
No. 8-ranked featherweight contender Nik Lentz returns to the cage for the first time since May. Makashvili will be making his UFC debut against a top-10 featherweight and a grinder of a fighter.
This fight should be all Lentz.
A Makashvili upset would be huge, but it's extremely unlikely.
Lentz's ability to grapple and grind his opponents has been on display time and again. Picking Lentz in this matchup is the easiest pick on the card. This will be a dominant decision for Lentz.
Prediction: Lentz, Decision
Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades
6 of 11
Division: Flyweight
Records: Ray Borg (7-1), Chris Kelades (8-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Ray Borg is the biggest favorite on the card, and I am not sure why.
Chris Kelades made a solid UFC debut by upsetting Patrick Holohan last October. He has made solid improvements to his game since his days on the regional circuit. Borg is a big challenge for him, but he is a live dog without question.
After a narrow loss to Dustin Ortiz, Borg returned to the cage with a quick submission win over Shane Howell.
I favor Borg like the oddsmakers, but not at the steep odds they have him set at. Look for yet another decision in Broomfield.
Prediction: Borg, Decision
Michel Prazeres vs. Kevin Lee
7 of 11
Division: Lightweight
Records: Michel Prazeres (18-1), Kevin Lee (9-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Lightweights Michel Prazeres and Kevin Lee are the second fight on the main card.
Each man has won back-to-back fights with split- and unanimous-decision victories. The winner on Saturday will take the next step in the division with three straight wins.
I would not select this to be the Fight of the Night.
It is a tough fight to call, but I will take a leap of faith on Prazeres to get a submission finish.
If Lee is able to keep the fight standing he should take the fight. Prazeres is going to be out of his depth in that area. At just 22 years of age, Lee has a big upside in the UFC, but this would be a set back for him to start off 2015.
Prediction: Prazeres, Submission, Round 2
Dan Kelly vs. Patrick Walsh
8 of 11
Division: Middleweight
Records: Dan Kelly (8-0), Patrick Walsh (5-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Aging middleweight Dan Kelly will try to keep his professional record spotless as he takes on The Ultimate Fighter alum Patrick Walsh.
Walsh looked good in his official UFC debut against castmate Daniel Spohn. Kelly was even more impressive in his UFC debut when he finished Luke Zachrich.
I nearly sided with Walsh in this fight, but Kelly's high-level judo background makes me lean toward the Aussie. Walsh is a solid grappler, but he is outclassed in this particular matchup. Walsh will have to fight off his back or land a single KO shot.
Walsh will get tossed and submitted early before UFC commentator Joe Rogan can go on his repeated rant about how the sweat makes submissions more difficult as the fight goes on.
Prediction: Kelly, Submission, Round 1
Neil Magny vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
9 of 11
Division: Welterweight
Records: Neil Magny (13-4), Kiichi Kunimoto (18-5-2, 1 NC)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Neil Magny had one of the best 2014 runs in the UFC. He went 5-0 in his bouts last year and moved himself into a position to have a really big 2015.
It all starts against Kiichi Kunimoto.
Kunimoto is on a big win streak of his own. It was supposed to stop against Daniel Sarafian, but the Japanese welterweight upset the Brazilian then went onward to defeat Patrick Walsh.
Kunimoto poses significant stylistic challenges to Magny, but this is his fight to lose. Magny should be able to stick Kunimoto on the outside while picking him off with his strikes. Magny's length will be a big asset for this fight.
This may go to a decision, but the accumulation of strikes will eventually call for the referee to step in to stop the bout. Magny forces the UFC to give him a much bigger fight later in 2015 with a TKO win that extends his win streak to six.
Prediction: Magny, TKO, Round 3
Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller
10 of 11
Division: Featherweight
Records: Max Holloway (11-3), Cole Miller (21-8)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The co-main event in Broomfield is not a very significant fight in the featherweight division, but it will be one of the more entertaining fights of the evening.
No. 13-ranked contender Max Holloway has looked exceptional since dropping a decision to Conor McGregor. He has won four straight fights. Holloway's striking looks better than ever, and he has added some decent grappling to his arsenal as well. All four of his recent wins have been finished.
Cole Miller has exchanged wins and losses in his past four bouts, but remains one of the more versatile featherweights in the UFC.
This is a strong grappler vs. striker battle. When push comes to shove, I like Holloway. I also like this to be Fight of the Night. They will test each other where they are weakest, but it will be Holloway who scores enough to sway the judges.
Prediction: Holloway, Decision
Benson Henderson vs. Brandon Thatch
11 of 11
Division: Welterweight
Records: Benson Henderson (21-5), Brandon Thatch (11-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The main event was guaranteed fireworks when it was Thatch vs. Stephen Thompson, but the inclusion of Henderson does not make it so. However, it does make it more intriguing.
Henderson has lost two straight fights, and now he jumps up to take on a hot prospect in a higher weight class. The former lightweight champion will be at a size disadvantage against Thatch as well.
Also adding to the curiosity of this bout is Thatch's time away from the cage. He has not stepped foot inside the Octagon since November of 2013. In a five-round fight with Henderson he will need to be in peak shape.
I do believe Henderson has a chance to pull off the minor upset, but I am siding with Thatch. He is not a slow, plodding welterweight. He is a well-rounded, athletic 170-pound prospect who can go a long way in this division. He has had a full training camp to prepare for five rounds at a high pace. Henderson has not.
Thatch stops Henderson to make it three straight losses for the former champion.
Prediction: Thatch, TKO, Round 2
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