UFC Fight Night 68 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

When the MMA world was ready to close the book on Dan Henderson's career, he responded with a huge win against Tim Boetsch at UFC Fight Night 68 on June 6.

At 44 years old, Henderson looked to be finished after losing five out of his prior six bouts. However, it took him only 28 seconds to stop Boetsch after hurting The Barbarian with his right hand early on.

There can't be much gas left in Henderson's tank at this point. Though, with a knockout win over Boetsch, he could also be ready to make one last run at a UFC championship.

Here is a look at what should be next for Henderson and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 68 competitors.

Prelim Fighters

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Prelim Winners

Fighter	Matchup
Shawn Jordan	Antonio Silva vs. Soa Palelei Winner
Omari Akhmedov	Claudio Silva
Chris Wade	Gilbert Burns
Joe Proctor	Jon Tuck
Jake Collier	Daniel Sarafian
Jose Quinonez	Roman Salazar vs. Marlon Vera Winner

Prelim Losers

Fighter	Matchup
Derrick Lewis	Walt Harris
Brian Ebersole	None (Retire)
Christos Giagos	Bryan Barberena
Justin Edwards	None (Release)
Ricardo Abreu	Ildemar Alcantara vs. Kevin Casey Loser
Leonardo Morales	None (Release)

Alex Caceres

UFC.com

Matchup: None (Release)

Following two straight losses, Alex Caceres was in need of a strong performance at UFC Fight Night 68.

Instead, he lasted only 21 seconds in a knockout loss to Francisco Rivera. Had Caceres made it competitive, he probably wouldn't have to worry about his UFC roster spot, but suffering a third straight loss in that fashion puts his future with the promotion in doubt.

There is still a chance Caceres gets one more opportunity to get back into the win column. However, at 26 years old, he might benefit more from honing his skills against lesser competition in smaller shows.

Francisco Rivera

UFC.com

Matchup: Brad Pickett vs. Thomas Almeida Winner

Like Caceres, Rivera entered UFC Fight Night 68 with two straight losses.

With his knockout win on Saturday, though, Rivera now sits in a much different position than his opponent. He might not be well-rounded enough to win a UFC championship, but having recorded three knockouts inside the Octagon, he is a threat to stop anybody in the bantamweight division.

"

Francisco Rivera needed just 21 seconds to smash Alex Caceres. 👊👊👊 See ya! http://t.co/D6WRHIMnrp pic.twitter.com/wGBkd6B7mH

— theScore (@theScore) June 7, 2015"

Since he just broke out of a skid, it's unlikely Rivera will meet a highly ranked opponent. However, he should see a big name like Brad Pickett in the event that the Englishman beats Thomas Almeida at UFC 189.

Joe Soto

UFC.com

Matchup: Cody Gibson

One bout after competing for the UFC bantamweight belt, Joe Soto now is in danger of losing his UFC roster spot.

At UFC Fight Night 68, Anthony Birchak knocked out the former UFC and Bellator MMA title challenger. Had Soto's first UFC appearance not come against T.J. Dillashaw, he'd almost certainly be headed back to a smaller show following his second straight UFC defeat.

"

Remember when Joe Soto fought for the UFC title and some people tried to defend it as reasonable? That was something else!

— Jonathan Snowden (@mmaencyclopedia) June 7, 2015"

I do believe Soto will get one more shot at picking up a UFC win, though. That chance could come against Cody Gibson, who has also dropped two in a row.

Anthony Birchak

Matchup: Taylor Lapilus vs. Ulka Sasaki Winner

Following a loss to Ian Entwistle in his UFC debut, Birchak needed a win over Soto in a big way.

With an opening-round knockout, Birchak got his win and made a big statement in the process. In beating Soto impressively, Birchak showed that he has bigger plans than simply maintaining a spot on the UFC bantamweight roster.

"

ANOTHER KO! Anthony Birchak just face planted Joe Soto with a huge barrage of strikes! #UFCNOLA

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 7, 2015"

This was a big step forward for Birchak, but he will need another win or two before he starts competing against legitimate 135-pound contenders. There's a good chance his next bout will come against the winner of a UFC Fight Night 69 clash between Taylor Lapilus and Ulka Sasaki.

Thiago Tavares

UFC.com

Matchup: Maximo Blanco vs. Mike De La Torre Loser

With a submission win over Robbie Peralta in his 145-pound debut, Thiago Tavares looked to have made an excellent decision to leave the lightweight division.

However, on Saturday, he tasted defeat for the first time in the featherweight division. The Brazilian was on his way toward victory despite bleeding all over the Octagon, but a late flurry by Brian Ortega left Tavares with a disappointing knockout loss. 

"

Thiago Tavares has two right eyebrows now pic.twitter.com/UPQ5d8zrCa

— Chris Nelson (@3ammma) June 7, 2015"

It's back to the drawing board for Tavares, but he should remain in the featherweight class. Assuming he does, a bout with the loser of a July contest between Maximo Blanco and Mike De La Torre would be logical.

Brian Ortega

UFC.com

Matchup: Hacran Dias vs. Levan Makashvili Winner

Because he failed his UFC on Fox 12 drug test and had a win over De La Torre overturned, Ortega was looking for his first official UFC win Saturday.

Surrendering six takedowns in the first two rounds against Tavares, Ortega looked to be in trouble at UFC Fight Night 68. However, he did some serious damage to his opponent's face and recorded a stoppage in the third round.

"

What about Brian Ortega? Wow! He was 2 years old when I started competing. What an animal!

— Bas Rutten (@BasRuttenMMA) June 7, 2015"

Beating a veteran like Tavares bodes well for Ortega's potential in the 145-pound division. He's ready for a big test, which could come in the form of Hacran Dias should the Brazilian beat Levan Makashvili at UFC Fight Night 70.

Yancy Medeiros

UFC.com

Matchup: Alan Patrick vs. Mairbek Taisumov Loser

Having scored submission wins in his past two outings, Yancy Medeiros was primed to catapult himself into lightweight title contention with a win over Dustin Poirier.

Instead, Medeiros missed weight, and The Diamond overwhelmed him in less than three minutes. 

At 27 years old, Medeiros has time to learn from this experience and improve into a better fighter in the lightweight division. Look for him to get a chance to rebound against the loser of an upcoming bout between Alan Patrick and Mairbek Taisumov.

Dustin Poirier

Matchup: Ross Pearson vs. Evan Dunham Winner

Since leaving the featherweight division, Poirier has now recorded two opening-round knockout wins in two lightweight appearances.

The Diamond is still working on regaining the contender status that he gave up by leaving the 145-pound class. However, early indications are that he has the ability to become a title threat at 155 pounds as well and could do so soon.

"

Got my 10th win in the UFC tonight!! Thank you all for the support!

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) June 7, 2015"

Now that he has shown he could make the move to 155 pounds without missing a beat, Poirier should see a big step up in competition. There's a good chance he meets the winner of an upcoming clash between Ross Pearson and Evan Dunham.

Matt Mitrione

UFC.com

Matchup: Travis Browne

With three straight knockout wins, Matt Mitrione had a chance to announce himself as a serious contender in the heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 68.

Instead, he made a questionable decision to attempt a takedown on Ben Rothwell. The result was a quick submission loss less than two minutes into the bout.

"

I respect u @travisbrowneMMA & think ur solid. Hell, apparently just touch my neck & I lose. Easy night. C'mon son let's give @ufc a fight.

— Matt Mitrione (@mattmitrione) June 10, 2015"

Despite the disappointing performance, Mitrione has earned another big fight or two with his previous winning streak. A bout with Travis Browne, who is also coming off a loss, could provide some entertaining striking.

Ben Rothwell

Matchup: Stipe Miocic

Since being submitted by Gabriel Gonzaga in January 2013, Rothwell has been on a roll.

His submission win over Mitrione on Saturday gave Rothwell a third straight stoppage victory. In the shallow heavyweight division, that's enough to make a fighter one of the top contenders around.

"

"I think Stipe should get the next title shot, he's established himself...I think [Arlovski] and I should fight for next spot" -Ben Rothwell

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 7, 2015"

Rothwell is angling for a bout with Andrei Arlovski, but the former UFC champion should be next in line for a title after knocking Browne out in May. Instead, Rothwell should meet Stipe Miocic in a bout that could also earn him a surprising title shot depending on the timing.

Tim Boetsch

UFC.com

Matchup: Tom Watson

Boetsch has had his chances to break into the Top 10 in the middleweight division, but he keeps coming up short in big spots.

At UFC Fight Night 68, The Barbarian ran into another setback against Henderson. Boetsch opened by exchanging with Henderson, and that's not a great idea considering Hendo only needs to land that right hand once to put his opponent in a really bad situation.

Now with two straight losses, look for Boetsch to get a big step down in competition. Given the options available, Tom Watson would make the most sense as an opponent right now.

Dan Henderson

Matchup: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt Winner

Facing the possibility of being forced into retirement, Henderson responded with a knockout win over Boetsch less than one minute into the bout.

At 44 years old, he might not have much left in the tank. However, he still has that fight-changing power that could keep him going for a few more appearances.

"

Miesha Tate: "You DO NOT drop your left hand when you're fighting Dan Henderson or you'll get hit with that H-Bomb."

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) June 11, 2015"

If Nate Marquardt beats Kelvin Gastelum, he'd be a good opponent for Henderson in a matchup between two former title challengers on the tail end of their careers. Gastelum wouldn't be a bad option for Henderson either, but there is a good chance he'll be returning to 170 pounds.