UFC Fight Night 68: Boetsch vs. Henderson Fight Card, TV Info and Predictions
Some main events aren't about titles or title contention. Sometimes the featured fight is set up simply to be a brawl. That will be the case on Saturday in New Orleans, Louisiana at UFC Fight Night 68 when No. 13-ranked Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch takes on Dan Henderson.
Neither of these two light heavyweights have a realistic shot at getting back into the title picture at 205 pounds. Boetsch has lost four of his last six fights and the 44-year-old Henderson has dropped five of six.
However, both veterans love to trade bombs. UFC officials and fans of the sport are hoping to see both men uncorking haymakers. It would seem as if that style of fight is inevitable. While both Boetsch and Henderson have layers to their fighting style, if they had it their way, fights would be settled in toe-to-toe battles.
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While Boetsch will be trying to knock Henderson out once the fight begins, he seems to have nothing but respect for the MMA legend ahead of the bout. Per Brent Brookhouse and John Morgan of MMA Junkie, Boetsch said this of his opportunity to main event a card and face Henderson:
"It’s incredible. (My) first main event, and to be fighting Dan Henderson is such an honor. It’s an incredible thing to be a part of this fight. Like I said, fighting Dan Henderson in and of itself is an honor. But to put that in the main event and really be the spotlight of the night is something to really appreciate.
"
Hendo really should have retired after he stopped Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in March 2014. Instead, he's taken lopsided losses to Daniel Cormier and Gegard Mousasi since. Hardcore Hendo fans should be braced for another setback on Saturday.
Boetsch has the edge in speed and he's better on the ground at this stage in both men's careers. He'll score the stoppage win by second-round TKO. Patrick Wyman of Sherdog.com sees Boetsch as the likely victor as well. Wyman wrote:
"Boetsch packs a serious punch and likes to engage in the same tight spaces that Henderson prefers. In that kind of fight, I see Henderson getting the worst of it. The pick is Boetsch by decision, with a strong chance of a knockout."
Hopefully Hendo will announce his retirement immediately after the loss.
In the co-featured bout, top-15 heavyweights No. 9 Ben Rothwell and No. 13 Matt Mitrione will collide. The winner of this bout could put themselves in line for a title shot within the next year. Both men have tremendous power, thus it would be a major surprise to see the fight go beyond the first round—much less last the entire three frames.
These guys have been on a roll of late. Rothwell has won two in a row since losing by submission to Gabriel Gonzaga in January 2013. Mitrione has won three straight since his submission loss to Brendan Schaub.
You can almost bet there won't be a submission in this one. Neither fighter has ever won by submission in the UFC and Mitrione doesn't have a win by tap out in his career. One man is going to get knocked out and I'd say it'll more than likely be Rothwell.
Mitrione has shown improvement in every fight he's had over the last few years and he's the better natural athlete. Look for a huge right hand to drop Rothwell and for Mitrione to pound his opponent out with hammerfists to seal the deal.
Here's a look at viewing information and predictions for every fight on the card. Just beneath the table is a closer look at two other compelling fights.
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Jose Quinonez vs. Leonardo Morales | Bantamweight | Morales by KO |
| Ricardo Abreu vs. Jake Collier | Middleweight | Collier by submission |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Joe Proctor vs. Justin Edwards | Lightweight | Edwards by submission |
| Chris Wade vs. Christos Giagos | Lightweight | Giagos by decision |
| Brian Ebersole vs. Omari Akhmedov | Welterweight | Ahkmedov by decision |
| Shawn Jordan vs Derrick Lewis | Heavyweight | Lewis by TKO |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Francisco Rivera vs. Alex Caceres | Bantamweight | Caceres by submission |
| Joe Soto vs. Anthony Birchak | Bantamweight | Birchak by decision |
| Thiago Tavares vs. Brian Ortega | Featherweight | Ortega by submission |
| Dustin Poirier vs. Yancy Medeiros | Lightweight | Poirier by submission |
| Ben Rothwell vs. Matt Mitrione | Heavyweight | Mitrione by TKO |
| Tim Boetsch vs. Dan Henderson | Light Heavyweight | Boetsch by TKO |
Another Heavyweight Brawl
Perhaps the only other bout with a higher probability of ending in a KO than the Rothwell vs. Mitrione is the preliminary scrap featuring Shawn "The Savage" Jordan and Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis.
What else can be expected when you pit a "savage" against a "Beast?"
Oddly enough, these two guys faced each other before back in 2010 when both were fighting with the Cajun Fighting Championships promotion. Even more strange was the fact that the bout lasted the distance and Jordan won a decision. Don't expect history to repeat itself.
These two lumbering and powerful 30-year-olds will be looking for the finish early and often. Lewis will enjoy a three-inch height and reach advantage in a bout that figures to come down to boxing/slugging.
He might also have the edge in quickness over the Baton Rouge native. To the chagrin of the Cajun crowd, Lewis will score the TKO win over Jordan in the first round to put himself on target to move into the division's top 15 sometime soon.
155-Pound Diamond
New Orleans native, Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier made the jump to lightweight after being stopped by Conor McGregor back in Sept. 2014. It was a necessary move for the 5'10" Poirier and he certainly appeared stronger in his first-round KO win over Carlos Diego Ferreira in April.
On Saturday he'll draw the tough Yancy Medeiros.
The latter has won two consecutive fights with both coming by submission over Damon Jackson and Joe Proctor. Poirier is far superior to Jackson and Proctor and it'll likely show early on against Medeiros. Whether this fight stays on the feet or goes to the ground, I like Poirier to have the advantage.
The Diamond's ability to transition from striking to grappling is his best attribute in this fight. Medeiros doesn't have much of a chance to win this fight standing. His striking simply isn't developed to a point where he should be able to hurt or out-point Poirier in that way.
Medeiros will be looking for the takedown. However, in the process, he'll eat some shots that stun him and Poirier will take advantage by quickly pouncing to secure the submission and his second straight win.
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