We were in some rarefied air Saturday night for UFC Fight Night 60.
No, really. Broomfield, Colorado, is 5,420 feet above sea level. That’s more than a mile. That sort of altitude leaves even the best athletes searching for breath.
So when Benson Henderson stepped in to face Brandon Thatch on two weeks’ notice—and in the process jumped up to the welterweight division for the first time—the thin Rocky Mountain air was immediately the thickest narrative thread.
Henderson is nobody’s fool. Sure, the man enjoys a challenge, but the former UFC lightweight champion didn’t attain his position with recklessness. If he felt serious doubt in this viability as a welterweight, it stands to reason he wouldn’t have taken the fight.
On the other side of the cage, Brandon Thatch has what you might call a quality. He has tons of charisma and uses aggressive muay thai to break and turn heads. In short, Thatch may be a star in the making.
Both of these guys are native Coloradans. Does that mean they would perform better at this elevation? How would Henderson look at 170 pounds and on such short notice? Could Thatch get the biggest win of his life? Who would leave the arena on the shoulders of their statesmen?
That was only the main event of a card that held its share of twists and turns from injuries and missed weight. As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 60.