UFC Fight Night 60 hits Broomfield, Colorado, on Saturday with a welterweight showcase main event.
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson comes in on short notice and moves up a weight class to take on rising welterweight prospect Brandon Tha…
UFC Fight Night 60 hits Broomfield, Colorado, on Saturday with a welterweight showcase main event.
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson comes in on short notice and moves up a weight class to take on rising welterweight prospect Brandon Thatch. Featherweights Max Holloway and Cole Miller meet in the co-main event for a fun 145-pound scrap.
There is most definitely some betting value on this fight card. But where is it? That is what I am here to identify for you.
Predicting fights straight up in 2015 has gotten off to a rough start. I have a mere 11-7 (61 percent) record through the first four events of the new year. This is a credit to some good matchmaking by Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, but it is also assisted by some early upsets.
The trend of close bouts will continue Saturday night.
The betting odds are provided to give you better insight into Saturday’s event. With that said, let’s take a look at the six-fight main card for 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 again…
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.
Julianna Pena returns to action for the first time in 16 months when she steps inside the cage to take on Milana Dudieva at UFC Fight Night 63 in April.
It has been a long road back, and it comes at the right time for the division.
Pena won the first …
It has been a long road back, and it comes at the right time for the division.
Pena won the first female season of The Ultimate Fighter as a part of Miesha Tate’s team. She was not the favorite coming into that season, but she progressed further than any other cast member. TUF was a blessing for Pena. She developed her skills and ran through the competition.
After defeating Jessica Rakoczy for the TUF crown, Pena was scheduled to take on Jessica Andrade. She never got to take that fight, as she suffered a major knee injury. It was a complete wreck of her knee—the ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus were all damaged.
Her long-awaited return in Fairfax, Virginia could not come at a better time for the division.
The women’s bantamweight division is thin. It needs fighters.
How thin is it? Pena has one win in the UFC and has been out for 16 months, but she is still ranked in the Top 15. In the first four events of 2015, there has been exactly one women’s bantamweight fight (Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann at UFC 183). The division needs Pena to return to add depth.
Ronda Rousey, the champion of the division, has dominated all of her opposition. She is alone at the top of the division, and her list of credible challengers is dwindling. Rousey takes on Cat Zingano at the end of February at UFC 184, but after that, it is murky who is next in line.
Bethe Correia created an interesting storyline by beating Rousey‘s teammates, but Tate is calling her out for a fight. Holly Holm will co-main event UFC 184 in her first UFC fight. Other contenders such as Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis have already been ousted by Rousey in swift fashion.
Pena is not likely to jump right into a title fight if she defeats Dudieva, but her presence helps the division get another potential contender. She can join a list of credible contenders for an eliminator bout.
She is a fresh face—someone whom the UFC can market. The fans don’t have a memory of her being knocked out or submitted in the Octagon.
All of this depends, of course, on how she looks coming off the injury. If she returns to her post-TUF form, then she will be a bona fide top-10 bantamweight. She was still a very raw talent coming off the show, but she used her physical gifts well. She has had a lot of time to hone her craft.
Pena is a physically strong fighter with good power in her strikes. Her wrestling and jiu-jitsu are her best attributes, but her power makes her striking a concern for opposing fighters. Pena is an aggressive fighter who pressures her opponents. It makes her exciting.
The division needs more excitement.
Virginia will play host to her return, and a win should move her up the ranks quickly. This division has been starting to get stagnate, and Pena’s return comes at a time when it desperately needs more quality fighters.
Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman were scheduled to meet at UFC 184 for the middleweight championship, but an injury to Weidman forced the champion out of the event.
Following UFC 183, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the UFC had offered Belfort …
VitorBelfort and Chris Weidman were scheduled to meet at UFC 184 for the middleweight championship, but an injury to Weidman forced the champion out of the event.
Following UFC 183, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the UFC had offered Belfort an interim championship fight against LyotoMachida. He turned it down according to White.
Turning the fight down in itself is not an issue. It would make sense that Belfort would choose to wait for the undisputed champion, but White said that Belfort actively pursued an interim title fight at UFC 184 to remain on the card. So, why turn down the fight against Machida?
At the post-fight press conference White said that they will in fact offer Belfort one more fighter for an interim championship bout at UFC 184. The UFC President failed to mention who it would be, but with Machida out of the picture the only name that appears likely is Luke Rockhold.
It’s a fight that makes sense. Rockhold dropped his UFC debut to Belfort when the former UFC champion landed a spinning heel kick. Since that fight, Rockhold has looked outstanding. He has won three straight—all finishes.
If Belfort turns that fight down he should be stripped of his title shot.
Did he earn the right to challenge Weidman? Yes. By winning three straight fights—in 2013.
He has not seen the cage in over a year, and the division has progressed nicely in his absence. When Belfort was active, the division was thin. It was Anderson Silva, Weidman and nobody else. Since that time other contenders such as Rockhold, JacareSouza and Yoel Romero have emerged. All with impressive wins to their credit.
Why should they be penalized with waiting around while Belfort turns down fights? Title fights that is. The UFC never tried to give Belfort another contender’s bout. They put a title in front of him, and he turned it down. If he does it again, why should they hold up other contenders for his primadonna ego?
If Belfort turns down the next interim title fight offered to him, the UFC should tap Machida and Rockhold as the interim championship bout. The fight is already scheduled for April as a UFC on Fox headliner. Imagine that fight now being deemed for a title.
It would be a huge Fox main event with the inclusion of the title. No longer is it merely just a contender’s fight, but now the winner is an interim champion and jumps Belfort for the shot at Weidman.
Nothing is set in stone. Nor should it be. The UFC attempted to give Belfort exactly what he wanted. They offered him an interim title fight at UFC 184, and he declined. They should be under no obligation to stick with him as the next title contender. Other fighters are more active and have their own legitimate claims to being the top contender.
Machida vs. Rockhold is an amazing fight that is only enhanced by the interim title being up for grabs. And the UFC can flex its muscle by showing they are serious by telling Belfort they are moving on if he declines the next interim bout offered to him.
Belfort vs. Rockhold or Machida vs. Rockhold are two fantastic interim title tilt options to have in the UFC’s back pocket. The decision should be up to Belfort. Fight or lose your title shot. The inmates don’t run the asylum.
Anderson Silva returned Saturday night at UFC 183 and was victorious by unanimous decision over Nick Diaz.
It was an emotional evening for the former UFC champion. After the decision was read, he broke down in the cage. Silva lay on the canvas and…
Anderson Silva returned Saturday night at UFC 183 and was victorious by unanimous decision over Nick Diaz.
It was an emotional evening for the former UFC champion. After the decision was read, he broke down in the cage. Silva lay on the canvas and sobbed, overcome by his successful return from a gruesome injury at UFC 168.
In the post-fight interview, Silva’s tone changed to be more reflective. He was not sure if he would return to the Octagon in a competitive fashion again.
That thought process got clearer at the post-fight press conference. Silva opened up that his family had wanted him to retire from the sport, and his eldest son told him he should retire during their post-fight phone call. It is advice that the former champion should listen to.
Silva said it at the press conference—he has nothing left to prove inside the Octagon.
He made his UFC debut in 2006 at UFC Fight Night 5 against Chris Leben. The dominant and vicious debut put him into a title fight against Rich Franklin. Another dominant and vicious performance crowned him champion.
He was undefeated inside the Octagon for 16 straight fights. He even was a perfect 3-0 at 205 pounds. He embarrassed former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in Philadelphia. Silva found his greatest rival in Chael Sonnen and gave us one of the great knockouts in MMA history when he pelted Vitor Belfort with a front kick.
He has nothing left to prove to the fans, media, UFC brass or himself.
The Spider will be 40 years old later in the year. He is well past his athletic prime. What good comes from taking more fights? This is a combat sport where fighters can only take so much punishment before there are long-term health effects.
Retiring after the two fights against Weidman would have been a letdown. He lost his title by getting caught playing around with Weidman, and he was injured in the rematch, which he was losing up until that point. That would have left a bad taste in anyone’s mouth to watch him walk away at that point.
UFC 183 was the perfect send-off.
We got to watch Silva compete for a full 25 minutes in a stand-up affair against an entertaining opponent—someone who pushed Silva. Did we see a vintage, dominant performance? No, but this isn’t 2006, and he was coming off a long layoff from an injury.
Silva put on another quality show and got the win. His hand was raised at the end of the night. His lasting impression will be one of victory. That is the Silva we need to be reminded of when we think back on his career.
Father Time catches up to everyone. He has caught up to the greatest MMA fighter we have known. Silva has visibly depreciated from his prime. And that’s OK.
Silva is a grown man. He will make the decision that best suits him, and should he return, we will all eagerly anticipate his next fight. But he should take his family’s wishes into account. There is nothing left for him to achieve in this sport, and he has a lifetime of memories to gather with his family at home.
Silva can move on to the next chapter in his life. It doesn’t mean he will be forced out of the sport. He has a wealth of knowledge to impart on the next generation. He already speaks to Jon Jones and sparred with him prior to UFC 182.
Silva’s love for fighting may win out and he’ll return, but it is clear that his family wants him to close out his career with the UFC 183 victory.
Benson Henderson will be doing his best Donald Cerrone impression as he comes back to the UFC cage on short notice at Fight Night 60. He replaces Stephen Thompson the Broomfield, Colorado main event against Brandon Thatch.
Ariel Helwani made the annou…
Benson Henderson will be doing his best Donald Cerrone impression as he comes back to the UFC cage on short notice at Fight Night 60. He replaces Stephen Thompson the Broomfield, Colorado main event against Brandon Thatch.
Ariel Helwani made the announcement after UFC 183 concluded on Fox Sports 1.
Henderson last fought in mid-January against Cerrone. He dropped a decision in a lackluster fight that marked his second straight defeat. Now he moves up to welterweight for this clash against a rising prospect.
Thatch was a well-known young gun making his way up the ranks on the regional circuit before getting the call in 2013 to the UFC. His debut was nothing short of stellar. In just 83 seconds he dispatched Justin Edwards. He returned later in 2013 to defeat Paulo Thiago with a knee to the body.
His 2014 campaign was not to be. He was scheduled to fight with Jordan Mein, but their fight was pushed back before Thatch got injured and was out for the remainder of the year.
UFC Fight Night 60 hits Broomfield on Valentine’s Day.
What makes this fight even more interesting is that Damon Martin of Fox Sports reported that Henderson was set to replace Bobby Green against Jorge Masvidal. Those plans have now changed. It highlights how desperately the UFC needed a main event for its Valentine’s card.
Last fall Henderson spoke openly about wanting to move up to welterweight. The fight against Thatch will be a good test for the former lightweight champion in that quest. If he is competitive there may be hope that he can make noise in the division, but a loss to the prospect will not bode well for Henderson.
Henderson’s inclusion in the main event adds a bit of intrigue to this card that was very much needed. While Thompson vs. Thatch would have been an entertaining bout, it would have lacked a name that can draw viewers in.
The UFC may have gotten a blessing in disguise with Henderson taking this fight on short notice.
UFC Fight Night 60 is in two weeks’ time on Fox Sports 1. Bleacher Report will keep you informed of any more late changes to the Denver-area fight card as it nears.
