The Ruckus is coming for the Wonderboy.
In a bout sure to bring fireworks, muay thai wrecking machine Brandon “Ruckus” Thatch will now face off with karate and kickboxing prodigy Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 60.
That’s according to a Tuesday evening report from Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com. The move also was announced on Twitter by UFC PR honcho Dave Sholler:
Breaking News: @WonderboyMMA vs. @RUKUSMMA303 new main in Broomfield. @JohnyHendricks vs. @IamTheImmortal in Dallas. http://t.co/SvK1ZDIC7q
— Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) January 13, 2015
Originally, the event, set to take place February 14 in Broomfield, Colorado, was set to be headlined by another welterweight bout: Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine.
However, those plans went awry recently when Saffiedine suffered a groin injury and was forced to withdraw. Then, also on Tuesday, UFC officials announced that Brown would instead take on Johny Hendricks at UFC 185.
It is unclear when Saffiedine will return to action.
Though it is not as high profile as the original main event, Thatch vs. Thompson holds plenty of its own intrigue. The 29-year-old Thatch (11-1) has cut a big swath in a short time with the UFC. In two fights since joining in August 2013, he has scored a first-round knockout, which earned him a post-fight bonus from the UFC, and a first-round submission victory when veteran Paulo Thiago tapped to strikes.
Thatch’s momentum was derailed, however, when he injured his toe and sat out for more than a year. This will be Thatch’s first bout since sustaining the injury, and it comes in front of a hometown crowd for the Colorado native.
Meanwhile, Thompson (10-1) is 6-1 under the UFC banner and currently riding a four-fight win streak. The 31-year-old South Carolina native, who won a slew of national and international honors as a kickboxer, has scored a TKO victory in two of his last three contests.
Therefore, it stands to reason that neither of these men will want to go to the ground and that a knockout will be in the offing in this main event.
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