David didn’t tempt fate after he toppled the almighty Goliath and neither should Benson Henderson.
In the UFC’s version of Two and a Half Men, the former lightweight champ, welterweight science project Brandon Thatch and referee Herb Dean all stepped into the Octagon on Saturday night for legal fisticuffs in the main event of UFC Fight Night 60.
Faced with the daunting task of going toe-to-toe with the real-life Blanka, Henderson bit down on his toothpick and went to work. The obvious speed disparity reared its head early as Thatch Fee-fi-fo-fum’d his way into range, whiffing on haymakers.
Henderson, always cool and collected, was the matador to Thatch’s bull for the early portion of the bout before taking the fight to the ground and reintroducing MMA fans to his world-class grappling.
Bloodied, battered and forced to fight on an empty gas tank, Thatch finally succumbed to a rear-naked choke in the fourth round by the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
The 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, erupted into applause as Henderson pointed to the heavens in celebration, reminding fans that size wasn’t everything and anything was possible. After successfully pulling an Evel Knievel-like stunt, it was thought Henderson would go back down to the lightweight division and resume his journey of reclaiming the UFC title.
Instead, Henderson opted to move past the shallow waters into the welterweight shark tank by calling out perennial 170-pound contender Rory MacDonald.
“I hear there is a big guy up in Canada who needs a fight. I’m game,” Henderson said in a post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
Henderson’s call-out even surprised MacDonald.
Size isn’t everything in fighting, but it is something when you are competing against equally skilled opposition. After losing to Henderson, Thatch admitted in his post-fight interview with Rogan that he needed more experience to contend with the top fighters.
Just as his nickname implies, Henderson looked smooth against the larger fighter, but the physical toll the fight took on his body was noticeable as well. Conditioning has never been an issue for Henderson, who has made a living off going the distance in main event fights. But against a larger opponent like Thatch, he was forced to exert more energy in dealing with heavier weight.
The upper-echelon lions in the welterweight division aren’t exactly small guys either. Robbie Lawler, Johny Hendricks and MacDonald are all exceptionally large welterweight fighters, especially in comparison to Henderson. They are also well conditioned and highly skilled.
Losses to Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos aren’t any reason to turn tail and flee to another weight class. Many, including UFC President Dana White, thought Henderson won the Cerrone fight. As for the loss to Dos Anjos, he got caught up in wild, stand-up exchanges and succumbed to a flash knockout in the first round.
There are plenty of reasons for Henderson to stick around at 155 pounds, besides making another run at the UFC title. It only takes one big punch to change the course of a fighter’s career, and those risks steadily climb the heavier you go in weight.
Henderson was able to avoid taking significant damage from Thatch, but next time, he might not be so fortunate.
Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon and FanRag Sports.
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