The Time is Now For Brandon Thatch, Ready to Bring the Rukus in the UFC Fight Night 60 Main Event

By Adam Martin

After nearly 15 months of sitting on the sidelines healing up old injuries, UFC welterweight Brandon Thatch‘s time is now. The 29-year-old native of Colorado makes his first appearance in the Octagon since November 2013 next weekend when he takes on former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 60. It’s Thatch’s third fight in the UFC, his first two being stoppage victories over Paulo Thiago and Justin Edwards, but it’s his first time in the main event. It’s a showcase fight for Thatch in his home state of Colorado, and although Henderson is a tough opponent, “Rukus” is looking to make the most of a giant opportunity.

After being out of action for so long, some have forgotten about Thatch in a crowded UFC welterweight division with other rising stars like Gunnar Nelson, Jordan Mein, Albert Tumenov, Ryan LaFlare, and Kelvin Gastelum. But Thatch is special. Now, he needs the world to know, and that’s why he absolutely needs to make a statement against Henderson.

When a fighter is out of action as long as Thatch does, it’s not hard for people to forget how dominant the fighter was before he or she missed time. In Thatch’s case, the Strikeforce and RFA veteran went 11-1 in the first 12 fights of his career and was riding a 10-fight winning streak — all wins coming by first round knockout, TKO or submission – following his dominant victory over Thiago. (He knocked out Edwards with strikes in his UFC debut.) But instead of rushing himself up the ladder like some others have done – namely, Nelson – Thatch felt it was better to take time off and heal his old wounds, and hopefully, after a long period of rest and rehabilitation, be a better fighter once he returned.

Yes, that’s right, a better fighter than the guy who was smashing everyone left, right, and center before he got hurt. How is that possible you might ask? It’s possible because Thatch is a special, special talent, especially in regards to his standup skill. There are a lot of great strikers in the sport of MMA, but Thatch is truly a unique fighter. The way he throws his knees with such devastating impact is a rarity in MMA, and although he hasn’t faced elite talent yet, there is definitely a buzz around him in the hardcore MMA fan community that predicts Thatch may soon become the next UFC welterweight champion. He’s just that good.

Unfortunately for Thatch, the time off and the fact he fought Thiago and Edwards on Fight Night undercards haven’t helped his cause. But with his talent, as well as his unique look and personality, he can get back into the mix of things quickly with a win, especially with an impressive performance against Henderson.

It was coincidentally an injury to another striker in Tarec Saffiedine that earned Thatch this marquee opportunity opposite Henderson in UFC Fight Night 60’s main event. Saffiedine was scheduled to fight Matt Brown, but after pulling out of the fight with an injury, the UFC removed Brown from the card and elevated Thatch to the main event slot against Stephen Thompson. And after Thompson got hurt last week, Henderson was brought in as a replacement opponent, and now Thatch will get the opportunity to fight a former UFC champion in front of his friends, family, and teammates in Broomfield, Colorado.

It’s an incredible opportunity for Thatch, because a win over Henderson would mean a win over a former UFC titleholder, and thus would be Thatch’s career-defining win — at least to date. Right now, the book on Thatch is that he is an awesome striker with untested takedown defence, but even though Henderson is not a natural welterweight, he is a great MMA wrestler in general who has had success with his takedowns in the past. So if Thatch can stop Henderson’s takedowns, it will show a lot about where he stands in the grappling department. Because if he can grapple – we already know he can strike – he could be a future title challenger.

A win over Henderson, especially if it’s by knockout, could earn Thatch a top-10 welterweight opponent in his next fight, and depending on how impressive the win is, he could even potentially face a top-five opponent like Tyron Woodley. But first things first, he has to get through Henderson, and it will be no easy task. If anyone’s up for the job, though, it’s Thatch. So get ready for next weekend, because Thatch may very well bring the “Rukus” those in the know have all been expecting from him, and if he does just what he has the potential to do, the sky truly is the limit for him.