The Valentine’s Day UFC FIght Night in Broomfield, Colorado, is starting to take shape.
On Thursday the UFC announced that a welterweight clash between two of the division’s biggest intrigues — Colorado’s own Brandon Thatch and Stephen Thompson — is set to take place on Feb. 14 at the 1st Bank Center.
The 29-year old Thatch (11-1) has been battling a series of injuries since his last performance against Paulo Thiago last November in Brazil. In that fight, the upstart finished Thiago via submission (knee to the body). In his UFC debut this past August, Thatch scored Knockout of the Night honors against Justin Edwards in Indianapolis.
He was scheduled to face Jordan Mein at UFC Fight Night 49 in Tulsa, but Thatch injured his toe and was forced to withdraw. Thatch trains at the Grudge Training Center in Denver.
The South Carolina-born Thompson (10-1) has won four fights in a row, including two in 2014 against Robert Whittaker and Patrick Cote. The long kickboxer, known for his arsenal of striking and kicking techniques, is 5-1 in the UFC. His lone setback came against Matt Brown at UFC 145 in Atlanta back in 2012.
Thompson trains at the Tristar gym in Montreal, and was a key component in middleweight champion Chris Weidman’s training preparation for Anderson Silva.
UFC Fight Night in Broomfield will also feature flyweight bouts between former Bellator champion Zach Makovsky vs. Tim Eilliott, and Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades.