UFC Fight Night 60: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
Despite moving up a weight class on short notice, Benson Henderson impressed in his welterweight debut at UFC Fight Night 60.
The former lightweight champion initially had some trouble with the much larger Brandon Thatch, as Rukus tossed Henderson to the ground multiple times in the second stanza. However, Henderson was eventually able to wear Thatch down and took control in the third and fourth rounds.
Following a takedown in the fourth frame, Henderson was able to take Thatch's back and lock up a submission by rear-naked choke. With a win over such a promising welterweight, Henderson showed that he could be a factor at 170 pounds should he decide to remain in the weight class.
Now that another UFC event is in the books, here is a look at who should be next for Henderson, Thatch and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 60 competitors.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 13
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Efrain Escudero | Yan Cabral |
| Chas Skelly | Thiago Tavares |
| Zach Makovsky | Wilson Reis |
| James Moontasri | Jake Lindsey vs. Joseph Duffy Winner |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Rodrigo de Lima | None (Release) |
| Jim Alers | Mark Eddiva |
| Tim Elliott | Willie Gates |
| Cody Pfister | Frankie Perez |
Chris Kelades
2 of 13
Matchup: Richie Vaculik
Following a win over Paddy Holohan in his UFC debut, Chris Kelades was matched up with an even better grappler in Ray Borg.
Taken down five times over two-and-a-half rounds, Kelades wasn't able to keep up with Borg in the grappling department. The Canadian avoided several submissions before eventually having to tap due to a kimura midway through the final round.
"As the arena is brought down around him, Chris Kelades makes weight: 126 pounds. pic.twitter.com/IKTu6nBM0e
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) February 14, 2015"
Kelades should see a step down in competition for his next outing. A bout with Richie Vaculik, who is 1-2 inside the Octagon, would be logical.
Ray Borg
3 of 13
Matchup: Chris Cariaso vs. Henry Cejudo Winner
Borg was matched up with Dustin Ortiz in his UFC debut and kept it close on the scorecards against the now-No. 12 contender. Since then, Borg has looked like a flyweight prospect who also has his sights set on breaking into the Top 15 rankings.
At UFC Fight Night 60, Borg made it look easy against a solid grappler in Kelades. The Tazmexican Devil repeatedly threatened Kelades with submissions before finally locking up a kimura during the third round Saturday.
"UFC Fight Night 60 results, photos: Ray Borg taps Chris Kelades with kimura http://t.co/G7RYVAlEil pic.twitter.com/8zBRZfBoai
— MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) February 15, 2015"
With two straight submission wins, Borg appears ready to be tested by a ranked 125-pounder. If Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo beats Chris Cariaso in March, he'd likely move into the Top 15 and would be the ultimate test for Borg's grappling-centered approach.
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Michel Prazeres
4 of 13
Matchup: Norman Parke
Michael Prazeres looked solid in his first two UFC lightweight bouts, picking up decision wins over Jesse Ronson and Mairbek Taisumov. However, the Brazilian ran into a youngster he wasn't able to keep up with Saturday.
While Prazeres started off well enough, scoring three takedowns in the first two rounds, his conditioning let him down. Trator let up four takedowns over the final two rounds, resulting in a decision loss to Kevin Lee over the weekend.
A large lightweight who likes to use his size in the clinch against opponents, Prazeres would match up well with Norman Parke, a fellow grinder. Also coming off of a decision loss, Parke is in a similar position as Prazeres on the lightweight ladder.
Kevin Lee
5 of 13
Matchup: Alan Patrick
Since losing to now-contender Al Iaquinta in his UFC debut, Kevin Lee has quietly turned into one of the brighter prospects in the lightweight class.
With his decision win over Prazeres at UFC Fight Night 60, Lee extended his winning streak to three straight victories. Only 22 years old, Lee continues to improve and could develop into a high-level fighter in the 155-pound division.
"UFC Fight Night 60 results, photos: Kevin Lee outslugs wiped out Michel Prazeres http://t.co/yCeovdMZkC pic.twitter.com/0h803BY8rR
— MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) February 15, 2015"
Lee needs a few more wins before he'll deserve a bout with a contender, but he's definitely earned a step up in competition. Coming off of a win over John Makdessi, Alan Patrick would be a good test for Lee in his next outing.
Patrick Walsh
6 of 13
Matchup: Francimar Barroso
For being 1-0 inside the Octagon heading into the weekend, Patrick Walsh did everything he could to potentially get released anyway.
At the weigh-in, Walsh came in more than five pounds over the middleweight limit despite seemingly carrying plenty of disposable weight. Then, Walsh was underwhelming inside the Octagon and came out on the wrong side of a decision in a lackluster contest.
"Oh good god. 191.5 for Patrick Walsh.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) February 13, 2015"
I honestly wouldn't be shocked to see Walsh cut by the UFC brass, but I do think they will give him one more shot in the light heavyweight division, where he competed at in his debut. If so, Walsh could meet Francimar Barroso in a must-win matchup.
Dan Kelly
7 of 13
Matchup: Magnus Cedenblad
Known for his high-level judo, Kelly was underwhelming in a stand-up bout Saturday.
That said, Kelly was able to come away with the win and improved to 2-0 inside the Octagon. He should learn from this performance and realize that he would be best served utilizing his grappling to the fullest going forward.
"29-28 Dan Kelly, but who knows? Definition of a coin flip...who cares. Very poor display of MMA from 2 guys who are capable of so much more.
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) February 15, 2015"
It would be nice to see the UFC match Kelly up with a fellow grappler next. A bout with Magnus Cedenblad would likely be much more entertaining than Kelly's snoozer against Walsh.
Kiichi Kunimoto
8 of 13
Matchup: Zak Cummings
Starting out his UFC career with a 3-0 record, Kiichi Kunimoto has been a pleasant surprise in the welterweight division.
However, at UFC Fight Night 60, Kunimoto ran into the hottest fighter going at 170 pounds. With three takedowns and 142 total strikes landed, Neil Magny was simply better in all areas and eventually stopped Kunimoto with a rear-naked choke in the third round.
Following his first UFC loss, Kunimoto could still have a solid career inside the Octagon, but he'll need to turn things around. A bout with Zak Cummings, who is also coming off of a submission loss, would give Kunimoto a good chance to get back into the win column.
Neil Magny
9 of 13
Matchup: Erick Silva vs. Ben Saunders Winner
He hasn't exactly being doing it against the toughest competition, but Magny now owns more consecutive wins than any other UFC welterweight at this moment.
"Fact: @NeilMagny now holds the welterweight division's longest winning streak. #UFCBroomfield
— UFC (@ufc) February 15, 2015"
On Saturday, Magny recorded his sixth straight win in a dominant showing opposite Kunimoto. Still only 27 years old, Magny went from being a semifinal loser on The Ultimate Fighter 16 to being the most successful fighter from that season, and he's still improving.
It's hard to say somebody with six straight wins doesn't deserve a bout with a contender, but I do think Magny could use one more bout with a fighter slightly outside the Top 15 before diving into the deep end. Should Erick Silva beat Ben Saunders in March, the Brazilian would be a perfect test for Magny.
Cole Miller
10 of 13
Matchup: Jimy Hettes
Following wins over Sam Sicilia and Andy Ogle, Cole Miller was given a chance to break through in the featherweight division opposite Top 15 contender Max Holloway.
As it turned out, Miller couldn't hang with Holloway in the stand-up department and failed on both takedowns he attempted. An accidental headbutt caused a nasty cut over Miller's left eye and certainly didn't help, but Holloway was clearly the better fighter Saturday.
"Cut went down to the bone. Still a little blurry from the blood running into it or maybe that's just… http://t.co/iPFYgVTqKp
— Cole Miller (@colemillerATT) February 15, 2015"
Still unable to use his reach to his advantage at this stage in his career, Miller is most entertaining to watch when on the ground. A bout with fellow grappler Jimy Hettes could bring the best out of Miller in his next outing.
Max Holloway
11 of 13
Matchup: Cub Swanson
With his clear decision win over Miller at UFC Fight Night 60, Holloway extended his winning streak to five bouts.
At only 23 years old, Holloway is already a contender in the featherweight class and still seems to be getting better. On Saturday, Holloway showed that his striking was already among the best at 145 pounds. If his grappling comes along as well, the Hawaiian could be a legitimate title threat soon.
"Cub Swanson vs. Max Holloway 'signed and done' for FOX card in NJ http://t.co/0Hrbuhj7Cd @CubSwanson @BlessedMMA pic.twitter.com/Zm7GndWnrJ
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 15, 2015"
The UFC has already booked Holloway for a quick turnaround against Cub Swanson in April. I likely would have predicted that Holloway would have been paired with Charles Oliveira, but I am certainly not complaining about the Swanson matchup. It promises to provide some highly entertaining striking exchanges at UFC on Fox 15.
Brandon Thatch
12 of 13
Matchup: Jordan Mein
With knockout wins in his first two UFC outings, Thatch looked to be on the verge of welterweight title contention and was matched up with fellow rising star Stephen Thompson.
Unfortunately, Thompson was forced to withdraw from UFC Fight Night 60 due to an injury, which allowed Henderson to step in as a replacement. Facing a very different opponent than the one he had been preparing for, Thatch still looked good early on before fading in the later rounds.
"Had so much fun last night! Love my life. Thanks for the support:)
— Brandon Thatch (@RUKUSMMA303) February 15, 2015"
In a three-round bout, Thatch may have beaten Henderson and taken another step toward the 170-pound championship. Instead, he was taken down and submitted during the fourth round.
Despite the loss, Thatch is still one of the more promising fighters outside the welterweight Top 15 right now. I wouldn't be shocked to see UFC matchmakers give him another crack at a borderline contender despite his loss to Henderson.
If so, Jordan Mein wouldn't be a bad option since he's also coming off of a loss. It would also mean rebooking a bout that was supposed to go down at UFC Fight Night 49.
Benson Henderson
13 of 13
Matchup: Carlos Condit or Eddie Alvarez
Despite competing at 170 pounds less than one month after losing to Donald Cerrone at 155 pounds, Henderson turned in an outstanding showing in a submission win over Thatch.
With more time to grow into the welterweight class, Henderson could make some noise in the division. However, he's also already proven that he can be elite in the lightweight class. The former UFC champion has a tough decision to make on where he will compete next.
""I didn’t know I could win this fight. A lot of times you’ve got to do something you don’t know," - @BensonHenderson pic.twitter.com/MLK7XRkUkC
— UFC United Kingdom (@UFC_UK) February 16, 2015"
Should Henderson remain at 170 pounds, it could be interesting to see him welcome Carlos Condit back to the Octagon from injury. In the event that he moves back down to 155 pounds, Henderson should see a big fight, which could possibly mean a clash with former Bellator MMA champion Eddie Alvarez, who he was already supposed to meet at UFC Fight Night 59.
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