UFC Fight Night 68: A Complete Guide to the Full Card
Dan Henderson is one of only three fighters ever to hold titles in two different weight classes for a major MMA promotion.
If we keep reminding ourselves of that, maybe his fight this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 68 will become compelling. Maybe.
It's been a long time—eight years, if you're scoring at home—since Henderson held the Pride 183- and 205-pound championships. (For the record, Randy Couture and B.J. Penn are the other two to accomplish this—though not simultaneously—in the UFC.)
Hendo, as we like to call him, is 44 years old now. He turns 45 in August. That's pretty old in a sports context. But Henderson is a Hall of Famer, and it seems no one is going to convince him to call it quits yet. In Saturday night's main event in New Orleans, Louisiana, he'll go up against Tim Boetsch, a man 10 years his junior and also in need of a win.
I'm going to be honest with you: This is not a good main event. There's not a lot of greatness on this card. But it's not hopeless.
This following guide will tell you which fights are worth watching and which aren't. Of course, now that I say that, the card is going to produce four Fight of the Year candidates, thereby exposing the folly in attempting to predict these things in the first place. Still, though, you get the picture. I'm trying to help you out here.
Here are information capsules, predictions, viewing coordinates and photos of the UFC Fight Night 68 fighters. You know, so you know what they look like. Happy reading.
Jose Quinonez vs. Leonardo Morales
1 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Jose Quinonez (3-2), Leonardo Morales (4-1)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Two finalists from the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America square off to open the card. Can you feel that? Can you feel that excitement? It's palpable.
Quinonez came up short in his bid to become the show's bantamweight champion, losing by decision to Alejandro Perez. That seems solid on paper, but the actual fight wasn't so amazing. It was sort of wild and unruly but not in a good way.
The good news? Quinonez has some sweet facial hair. Think Curly Bill from Tombstone.
Here he'll face Morales, who lost on the show's featherweight final and drops down a level for this contest. Morales should be bigger here, and his power boxing and clean footwork should win the day, provided he can avoid a slugfest.
Prediction: Morales, unanimous decision
Ricardo Abreu vs. Jake Collier
2 of 12Division: Middleweight
Records: Ricardo Abreu (5-0), Jake Collier (8-2)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Collier seems like a relatable guy. Six years ago, he was a 270-pound couch potato with no sports background of any kind. Now he's in the UFC. Who doesn't enjoy a story like that?
It's not looking good for him in New Orleans, though. Because Abreu does have a sports background, and it's in jiu-jitsu. Before changing over to MMA, Abreu was one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors in the world (check the video). And he's no unbalanced specialist, either. He swings a heavy right hand that has helped him to three knockout victories.
Add in the fact that Collier replaced the injured Daniel Sarafian and thus may not have gotten in a full training camp, and this one looks like a successful second effort in the UFC for Abreu.
Prediction: Abreu, submission, Rd. 2
Joe Proctor vs. Justin Edwards
3 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Joe Proctor (10-3), Justin Edwards (8-4)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Proctor is the ultimate "just a guy." I don't mean that in an overly pejorative way. Anyone who can last three years in the UFC is doing something right.
That staying power in the face of a not-especially-electric skill set comes mainly from his propensity to brawl. He's a fighter who likes to fight. People like that.
This matchup is interesting because Justin Edwards is also just a guy. Small world!
Edwards has the grappling and grinding chops to make this a fight, but Proctor should stave off enough takedowns to keep this vertical and land some damaging combinations. Let's hear it for the guy.
Prediction: Proctor, TKO, Rd. 2
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Chris Wade vs. Christos Giagos
4 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Chris Wade (9-1), Christos Giagos (11-3)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Everyone got excited for Wade when he choked out Cain Carrizosa in 72 seconds last summer. When he walled-and-stalled Zhang Lipeng in January? Less excitement.
But as we know, a win is a win, which is why we now find Wade in the prelim doldrums. To the victor go the spoils! He's a strong wrestler, as is Giagos, who gets the nod in the striking phase here. Wade will get takedowns or again employ the clinch to keep an aggressive opponent under wraps.
Prediction: Wade, unanimous decision
Brian Ebersole vs. Omari Akhmedov
5 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: Brian Ebersole (51-16-1), Omari Akhmedov (14-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
I don't know what to make of Akhmedov. There's almost a Pavlovian urge to leap onto the bandwagon of any fighter from the North Caucasus. But is it warranted in this case?
The Dagestani sambo master has a fierce striking game and doesn't mind chasing you down to show it to you. He has submissions as well, particularly chokes, though Gunnar Nelson and Mats Nilsson both controlled him when the action was horizontal.
Akhmedov can close the curtain in an instant, but he may not get that chance against a veteran as wily as Ebersole. He has a lot of mileage on that 34-year-old body, but he'll always know his way around a cage.
Ebersole will pepper Akhemdov with shots from the clinch, hold him down on the ground and, most importantly, avoid the Dagestani's strong stuff. Akhmedov tends to tire down the stretch, and Ebersole will know that. He'll grind out a decision in the deep water.
Prediction: Ebersole, unanimous decision
Shawn Jordan vs. Derrick Lewis
6 of 12
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Derrick Lewis (12-3), Shawn Jordan (17-6)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
This bout is going to be exactly what you think it's going to be. That's right, fight fans. Let's get ready to lumber.
For Jordan, the slight underdog, the last six fights have ended in knockout (four for him, two for the other guy). But Lewis shan't be outdone: His last seven contests ended that way (he's 6-1 in that stretch).
This is actually a rematch of a bout from Cajun Fighting Championships (do you think these are local boys?) back in 2010. That one ended in decision. Methinks that won't happen twice.
So they're going to reel around in the cage, hunting for heads. Here's hoping it ends quickly, so we don't have to watch two gassed-out dudes stumble around like delinquent pub bouncers. I think we're pretty safe thinking we won't.
Prediction: Jordan, TKO, Rd. 1
Francisco Rivera vs. Alex Caceres
7 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Francisco Rivera (10-4), Alex Caceres (10-7)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
What a way to "kick" off the main card. Know what I mean?
The feet and the fists should be flying between these two. This is Rivera's first fight since an accidental eye poke from Urijah Faber led to laser surgery (not to mention a submission loss) last December. He's one of the hardest hitters in the bantamweight division and should try to unleash some frustration on Bruce Leeroy.
Caceres is a dynamic and entertaining fighter. He mainly uses a high-octane karate style, but he can grapple too. My guess? It doesn't come to that. These two are going to let it go on the feet and let the chips fall. Rivera and his cinder-block hands will prevail.
Prediction: Rivera, TKO, Rd. 2
Joe Soto vs. Anthony Birchak
8 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Joe Soto (15-3), Anthony Birchak (11-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Soto stepped up last year to face champion T.J. Dillashaw on less than a day's notice at UFC 177. And it was his UFC debut, no less.
He lost via knockout in the fifth round, but he appears to be parlaying that gameness into a main card fight in New Orleans. He has great wrestling and a strong pedigree from other organizations, but come on.
Consider this: This fight was originally scheduled as the second prelim bout at UFC 177. What has changed since then to get it on the main card? Soto has the loss to Dillashaw, and Birchak lost by submission in December to Ian Entwistle. So, yeah.
Prediction: Soto, unanimous decision
Thiago Tavares vs. Brian Ortega
9 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Records: Thiago Tavares (19-5-1), Brian Ortega (8-0)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Ortega is a fairly fun fighter to watch, as evidenced by his Fight of the Year candidate (no kidding) with Keoni Koch last year at RFA 12. He won his UFC debut later that year, only to see it change to a no-contest after he tested positive for steroids.
Fellow steroid positive-tester Tavares should match Ortega and then some in their shared specialty area: grappling. Where Ortega is aggressive, Tavares is more methodical. He should gain a good position and pound or choke out the young buck, suppressing a torch-passing situation. We definitely wouldn't want that.
Prediction: Tavares, TKO, Rd. 2
Dustin Poirier vs. Yancy Medeiros
10 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Dustin Poirier (17-4), Yancy Medeiros (11-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Psst. Wake up! This is probably the best fight on the card. Poirier has been an electrifying fighter for some time now, and his move back to lightweight at UFC Fight Night 63 began with a bang when he knocked out Carlos Diego Ferreira in the first round.
Poirier is well-rounded and, with an apparently brutal weight cut behind him, he seems ready to roll. But don't forget about Medeiros, the Hawaiian power striker who trains with Gilbert Melendez and the Diaz brothers, among others.
Medeiros has had fits and starts in his career, but with two straight submission victories, he may be starting to put it all together. Though both of these men are dangerous, Poirier seems to have more momentum, especially with a home-state crowd at his back.
"See you at the bayou," Poirier tweeted recently. Indeed.
Prediction: Poirier, unanimous decision
Ben Rothwell vs. Matt Mitrione
11 of 12
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Matt Mitrione (9-3), Ben Rothwell (34-9)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
How is this the co-main? I love the heavyweights as much as, if not more than, anyone else, but dang. Poirier is from Louisiana and has an exciting matchup in Medeiros, and his fights have title implications.
Anyway. No offense to either one of these guys. In fact, in a division as thin as heavyweight, this might actually have title implications. I mean, they'll have to get in line behind Andrei Arlovski, of course, but that goes without saying.
Both of these guys are big-time knockout strikers, with a whopping 28 knockouts between them (20 for Rothwell, eight for Mitrione). And yet, at the same time, neither man is aggressive to the point of recklessness.
Therefore, this might become a kind of stalemate. The tiebreaker could be Mitrione's athleticism. He's lighter on his feet and should get the better of Rothwell in open space and against the fence. Mitrione takes a snoozer.
Prediction: Mitrione, unanimous decision
Tim Boetsch vs. Dan Henderson
12 of 12
Division: Middleweight
Records: Tim Boetsch (18-8), Dan Henderson (30-13)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Speaking of snoozers.
We all know what Henderson is going to do. He's going to shuffle around, load up the overhand right and throw it. If said overhand right does not connect, he'll reset and repeat.
Given all the wrestling that exists marrow-deep in Henderson's body, he will probably neutralize Boetsch's judo game before it begins. But that's probably OK with Boetsch. If he steers clear of the H-bomb, he can clinch with Henderson and land some knees or tie him up and land a few of those signature hockey uppercuts.
Either way, the younger man will look it here. A bear of a middleweight, Boetsch will be like unto Steph Curry as he dances around the plodding Hendo. No one can tell Henderson when to retire, but that doesn't mean his decision to continue is correct. Exhibit L in that case coming Saturday.
Prediction: Boetsch, unanimous decision
Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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