Tag: Cole Miller

Mixed martial arts is a chaotic sport where anything can and usually does happen.

The leadup to the UFC’s return to Denver for Fight Night 60 was a prime example of how hectic things can get at the highest level of the sport, as injury and circumstance battered the event’s lineup as fight night approached. The card’s original main event tilt between Matt Brown and Tarec Saffiedine was scrapped when the Belgian striker fell out with injury, and rather than find “The Immortal” a replacement bout, the scrappy Columbus native was shipped off to UFC 185 in Dallas.

He will face former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in “Bigg Rigg’s” first bout since losing the strap in a bout figured to have heavy implications on a future title shot. In the aftermath of Brown being pushed to UFC 185, the promotion bumped Brandon Thatch versus Stephen Thompson up to the headlining slot at Fight Night 60. In addition to being a highly anticipated squabble, “Rukus” vs. “Wonderboy” was set to be an action-packed showdown between two of the welterweight division’s fastest-rising stars.

A rib injury would force the South Carolina native out of the bout just two weeks out from the event, and the UFC was left with very few options in the 170-pound fold. Nevertheless, in a strange and sudden turn, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson—who was only two weeks removed from his hard-fought loss to Donald Cerrone at Fight Night 59—agreed to go up a weight class and face the welterweight wrecking machine.

While “Smooth” has always been a vocal advocate of the “anytime, anyplace” mentality, stepping in against a fighter who had only been out of the opening round once in 12 fights—and doing so coming off back-to-back losses of his own—seemed to be a dangerous gamble. Furthermore, with Henderson being big for his former weight class and Thatch on the larger side of his current one, there was a drastic size difference between the two fighters.

This became crystal clear during their faceoff at the pre-fight weigh-ins on Friday, and Henderson’s already-difficult task of jumping up a weight class on short notice appeared to become even more Herculean in nature. Still, the former 155-pound champion has never been one to back down from a challenge, and did he ever step up to the plate.

Despite being on the short end of reach and weight, Henderson put on a career-defining performance as he chopped away at the dangerous striker until he put him away with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. The former champion took the talented prospect into deep waters where he put him away in impressive fashion.

It was a roller coaster of a night at 1stBank Center in Broomfield. Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 60.

 

The Good

What a turnaround for Benson Henderson.

Following a loss to Donald Cerrone in his last fight, the former lightweight champion found himself in unfamiliar waters. Suddenly “Smooth” was sitting on back-to-back losses, and he was determined to buck that trend in the quickest way possible. If that meant going up a weight class to take a short notice fight against a versatile striker the likes of Brandon Thatch, that’s what he was going to do.

Henderson was willing to do anything to get back on track, and that’s exactly what he accomplished on Saturday night. The former WEC and UFC 155-pound champion used his speed and agility to stay out of reach of “Rukus” for the opening five minutes, then set about closing the distance where he saw fit. While Thatch was able to tag him a few times in the second round, Henderson went to his wrestling to neutralize the size and length advantage in the third round and turned the tide of the fight.

When the MMA Lab leader was able to put Thatch on the canvas again in the fourth, Henderson’s submission game took over and he closed out the fight. It was a spectacular performance for the Arizona-based fighter, and he kicked open a few doors in the process.

While Henderson is undoubtedly one of the elite lightweight fighters on the UFC roster, his showing at Fight Night 60 proved he’s just as game as a welterweight. No matter where Henderson decides to fight next, it is clear that he’s going to continue to land high-profile opponents. And that is good news for both weight classes.

The UFC’s featherweight division is more stacked than it’s ever been before, and Max Holloway is determined to carve out his place among the divisional elite.

The 23-year-old Hawaiian came into his bout with Cole Miller at Fight Night 60 riding a four-fight winning streak that took him from the prospect ranks and into the higher ground, where tougher competition resides. “Blessed” had earned finishes in each of his four recent victories, and a win over a gritty veteran the likes of Miller would stamp his passage into the next level of the weight class.

While Holloway was unable to put the American Top Team product away over the course of the 15-minute affair, his performance was certainly on point, as he dominated the action throughout. The majority of the opening round was spent with both fighters circling and feeling one another out, but once Holloway settled in it was his show from there. Holloway’s versatility made the difference in the matchup as he picked up the unanimous-decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.

And where the UFC typically waits a few weeks to pair up a winning fighter, Jon Anik told Holloway in his post-fight interview that there was a slot available opposite Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 15 in April. The scrappy Hawaiian said he was down to make it happen, and it looks like the surging contender will square off with “Killer Cub” in Newark.

*** Neil Magny put himself in the UFC record books by notching five victories in 2014, and he came into Fight Night 60 looking to keep things rolling against Kiichi Kunimoto on Saturday night. The Colorado-based fighter put the pace and pressure on his opponent from the opening bell, and that work paid immediate dividends as Kunimoto began to wilt as the fight wore on. The Japanese veteran was saved by the bell at the end of the second round, and Magny wasted zero time resuming his attack in the final round. After he put Kunimoto on the canvas, The Ultimate Fighter 16 alum sank in a fight-ending rear-naked choke to bring his streak to six consecutive victories.

*** The UFC’s lightweight division is one of the most talent-rich collectives under the promotion’s banner, and Kevin Lee is starting to gain some traction. The 22-year-old Michigan native came into Fight Night 60 with a two-fight winning streak, and he made it three straight victories with a unanimous-decision victory over Michel Prazeres on Saturday night. While “The MoTown Phenom” ate a few shots early, his speed and pressure wore down the Brazilian slugger in the later rounds, and Lee dominated the action in the final two frames. With the win, Lee has solid momentum rolling and should draw a more established opponent in his next outing.

*** In addition to having one of the best nicknames in MMA, Ray Borg is also one of the most promising prospects in the flyweight division. At just 21 years old, “The Tazmexican Devil” has shown a versatile skill set and steady progress every time out. On Saturday night, the Albuquerque native picked up his second victory under the UFC banner when he dominated, then submitted Chris Kelades at Fight Night 60. Borg dominated every minute of the fight until he locked in a fight-ending kimura in the second round. While Borg may be a ways away from a title opportunity, if he continues to progress at the rate he’s moving, a championship fight will be in his near future.

*** No fighter on the card at Fight Night 60 needed was more desperate for a win than Efrain Escudero. Where the MMA Lab representative was once a promising prospect in the UFC fold, a pair of tough runs sent him back to competing on smaller stages around the sport. The TUF 8 winner was brought back for his third tour of duty in the UFC last September, but ultimately he found himself on the business end of a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Those circumstances made his fight with Rodrigo de Lima a must-win situation, and Escudero certainly stepped up to the challenge. While the Brazilian veteran had his moments throughout the fight, “Hencho En Mexico” kept his composure and stuck to his game plan. The result was Escudero claiming his first victory inside the Octagon since 2010, keeping his roster spot intact.

*** Team Takedown representative Chas Skelly certainly lived up to his “Scrapper” nickname at Fight Night 60 as he out-slugged Jim Alers in a barn-burner to pick up his third consecutive victory inside the cage. While Alers certainly had his moments in the opening frame, Skelly landed a series of bombs in the second round that left his opponent dazed against the cage. Once Alers was wounded, Skelly poured it on and secured the TKO finish in impressive fashion.

That said, the 29-year-old Texan definitely landed an illegal knee to Alers‘ head as he was already folded to the canvas. In the aftermath of the fight, commentator Brian Stann asked the commission about the strike, and was told the referee declared he was in the process of stopping the fight when the illegal blow landed.

*** Zach Makovsky has been vocal about wanting a shot at the UFC flyweight title, and he took another strong step toward making that happen on Saturday night. “Fun Size” outworked the always scrappy Tim Elliot to pick up the unanimous decision victory at Fight Night 60. While the Grindhouse MMA representative was on his back for the majority of the fight, that didn’t stop him from trying everything he could to score points. Nevertheless, Makovsky had the edge in what turned into a wild fight, and the Pennsylvania native has now won three of his four showings inside the Octagon.

*** While missing weight in your UFC debut is never a good thing, James Moontasri did everything he could to erase his initial misstep against Cody Pfister. From the opening bell, Pfister went all out to put his opponent on the ground, but “Moonwalker” answered those attacks with a knee or kick at every turn, forcing “The Fist” to get more and more desperate with each takedown attempt. Moontasri eventually stunned Pfister with a hard shot and finished off the action with a rear-naked choke to solidify a successful debut inside the Octagon.

 

The Bad

It may be time for Nik Lentz to change his nickname.

While the Minnesota representative has used “The Carny” moniker throughout his professional career, there is now enough evidence to support Nik “Bad Luck” Lentz being a more justified descriptor. There is certainly no denying the former lightweight turned featherweight grappler has talent, but misfortune has seemed to hover above him as of late.

After bouncing back from his loss to Chad Mendes in December of 2013 with a win over Manvel Gamburyan five months later in Ohio, 2014 appeared to a year where the 145-pound grinder could make some moves up the featherweight divisional ranks. That said, his rematch with Charles Oliveira at Fight Night 50 fell apart at the 11th hour as “Do Bronx” first missed weight by five pounds at the weigh-ins, then ultimately fell ill on the day of the bout and the fight was scrapped.

Unfortunately for Lentz, the 30-year-old veteran was unable to secure another bout before the year came to a close and was forced to turn his hopes toward 2015. His long-awaited opportunity to return to the Octagon was slated to happen on Saturday at Fight Night 60 in Denver, but it would be Lentz who fell victim to illness and was forced to withdraw from his bout against Levan Makashvili. 

Lentz being forced to drop out of Fight Night 60 is not only his second consecutive fight that was scratched before ever seeing the Octagon, but those unexpected turns have prevented him from keeping up with a divisional upper tier that is on fire at the current time the way the 145-pound weight class is. The ascension of Irish star Conor McGregor has shifted the featherweight collective into hyper-drive, and Lentz is in danger of being left by the wayside.

That is an unfortunate turn for a fighter who has won four of his five showings since dropping down to featherweight in 2012, but Lentz was already fighting an uphill battle. His wrestling-heavy attack has never been the most entertaining presentation inside the Octagon, but he was in the process of reversing that stigma before his sudden turn of poor luck.

While what happened to Lentz was beyond his control, one fighter who has zero excuses for what went down in Broomfield was Patrick Walsh. 

Not only did the 26-year-old TUF 19 alum fail to make weight on Friday, he then proceeded to put on one of the worst fights in recent memory. Granted, it certainly takes two to tango and his opponent Daniel Kelly didn’t win any fans, but he ultimately won the fight. The UFC has a long track record of not taking too kindly to fighters who fail to hit the contracted weight limit, and they certainly won’t have any sympathy for a fighter who then proceeds to get into the Octagon and fight the way Walsh did.

There were other bouts outside of the should-have-been-middleweight disaster on the main card that garnered boos from the crowd at 1stBank Center on Saturday night, but none that presented the level of despair as Kelly vs. Walsh brought. Again, Kelly has very little to be proud of for how he performed on Saturday night, but at least he made weight and did enough to win the fight.

If Walsh is allowed to make another walk to the Octagon, it’s all but guaranteed there will be a stern conversation to be had with UFC brass before that happens.

 

The Strange

While there were plenty of curious happenings in the leadup to Fight Night 60, once the action got underway in Broomfield, things were relatively normal. I know what you are thinking and I agree. How does a UFC fight card go down without anything strange taking place? And as crazy as that is to write; that was simply the case on Saturday night.

Still, that’s not to say there were not issues with how things went down in the mile high elevation of the Rocky Mountains. Where Denver’s elevation didn’t turn out to do all too much damage to the fighters throwing leather inside the Octagon, the viewers watching at home had to think the show’s production was being zapped by the thin air surrounding 1stBank Center.

Due to Fight Night 60 having six fights on the main card, the pacing of the event presented a serious struggle for anyone tuning in. Where the preliminary portion of the card featured some action-packed squabbles and a pair of finishes, the bouts on the main card were coated in molasses. Granted, this is more than likely do to the talent level of the fighters who were showcased, but that wasn’t the entire reason the majority of the showcased portion of Fight Night 60 struggled.

The opening bout saw flyweight prospect Ray Borg thrash Chris Kelades until “The Taxmexican Devil” put his opponent away with a kimura in the final round. The next bout featured up-and-coming lightweight Kevin Lee as he out-hustled Michel Prazares to pick up the unanimous decision win. Those two fights made for a decent start to Saturday night’s event, but it’s what came after that proceeded to suck the life out of card.

A catchweight sludge-fest between Dan Kelly and Patrick Walsh was painful to watch and served as a strong reminder that NBA’s All-Star weekend was going down on another channel. When the commercial for UFC 184 and Cat Zingano’s scream was played for what felt like the 50th time, it only added to the feeling that Fight Night 60 was taking forever. 

The action would pick up toward the end of the card, but the damage had already been done. By the time Max Holloway and Cole Miller stepped in for the co-main event, the ever-present fighting faithful were barely holding on by a thread. Where Twitter is normally thriving with commentary and analysis during a UFC fight card, the social media realm had the collective disdain of an entire collective of people sitting impatiently at the Department of Motor Vehicles. 

With a mass phenomenon like fight fans and media agreeing something was difficult to get through going down on Saturday night, there is no other way to categorize it other than strange.

Yet, on a different note, everything turned around at the end due to Benson Henderson putting on the performance of his career against a much larger, stronger, longer Brandon Thatch.

That’s MMA folks. That’s the ride we sign up for.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. 

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