
Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, play by play and discussion as UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch goes off from Broomfield, Colorado. Former lightweight champion Ben Henderson tests out the welterweight class against lengthy striker Brandon Thatch in the headliner while rising Hawaiian Max Holloway meets Cole Miller in the co-main event.
Live play by play will commence with the preliminary card on UFC Fight Pass at 7:30 p.m. ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. Feel free to review this week’s MMA Vivisection for detailed analysis, predictions and betting odds for the entire card.
UFC Fight Night 60: Henderson vs Thatch
Main Card Results
Benson Henderson vs. Brandon Thatch
R1: Henderson lands an outside low kick. Thatch walking Henderson down but light on the trigger thus far. A front kick and grazing right cross for Thatch. Henderson lands downstairs. Thatch throws a jump knee and follows with an immediate left high kick. Nice left cross for Thatch, who checks Henderson’s next low kick. Right hand to the body for Henderson. Thatch lands with the shin on a right body kick.
Henderson checks a low kick and someone lands a counter right simultaneously. Front kick for Henderson and it causes Thatch to lose his balance. Another right to the body for Henderson followed by a left low kick. Henderson scores downstairs again, then again with a counter knee to the body from distance. Step-in right for Henderson. Thatch lands a jump knee to the body. Outside low kick for Henderson. Front-leg side kick for Thatch but Henderson buries a punch in his gut. 10-9 Henderson.
R2: Henderson goes for a body lock but lets it go to land a right. They trade jabs. Thatch lands another. Sharp outside low kick from Henderson, then a plunging jab. Thatch lands the second of two low kicks and Henderson grazes with a right to the body. Henderson gets a glove in front of Thatch’s high kick but the spinning kick that follows gets through.
Clean one-two lands for Thatch. Henderson responds with a jab but might have ducked into a Thatch punch on the next exchange. Grazing left cross lands for Henderson but Thatch responds with another one-two. Thatch catches Henderson off-balance and heaves him to the ground but Henderson pops back up. Thatch apologizes for something unknown and they touch gloves in respect. Thatch scores with a pair of rights and then hits a slick outside trip. Thatch backs off and they restart standing. 10-9 Thatch.
R3: Thatch flings an inside low kick. Henderson responds with a high kick and a punch that connect. Uppercut/left hook for Henderson. Thatch uncorks a quick high kick that Henderson barely blocks. Thatch wades forward with controlled bursts and shrugs off Henderson’s reactive takedown. Henderson stays on it and locks his hands, then deftly changes angles to finish the takedown. Thatch curiously gives up his back and Henderson puts both hooks in.
Henderson is patient in back control, holding position and offering two heel strikes to the abdomen. Now a body triangle for Henderson as he fishes for the choke. Thatch gets two-on-one wrist control but can’t shake Henderson off as he rolls onto his knees. Henderson keeps the body triangle cinched and tries to flatten Thatch out. No strikes, all positional control for Henderson, clearly looking to etch this round in the books. Henderson goes for the back-mount armbar with 20 seconds left and Thatch scrambles back to his feet. 10-9 Henderson.
R4: Thatch comes forward behind clubbing right hands. Inside low kick and a solid left cross for Henderson. Double jab from Thatch. Henderson targets the body with more punches, then snatches a single leg. Thatch denies it with leverage from the front headlock. Thatch clangs a knee off of Henderson’s face. Henderson whiffs on a left but lands the follow-up right downstairs.
Left cross for Henderson, then a right hand and a successful blast double leg. Henderson falls in half guard and quickly passes to side mount, then takes Thatch’s back with one hook in. Thatch explodes into action but Henderson stays on his back and ends up landing punches, still in back control with one hook. Now both hooks in for Henderson, who transitions to the rear-naked choke. It’s under the chin and Thatch taps.
- Ben Henderson defeats Brandon Thatch by submission (rear-naked choke) R4 3:58
Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller
R1: Holloway lands a sharp outside low kick. Miller answers with his own after dodging another pair of low kicks from Holloway. Miller checks Holloway’s next inside low kick. Miller using a long front and side kick to establish range. Holloway catches the next kick but can’t convert. Holloway switches to southpaw and targets the body with a left, then loses his balance on a kick. Miller glances with a long right cross.
Holloway plants a cracking left kick to the body of Miller. Holloway lands another on the next exchange, though Miller partially blocks it and lands a low kick in response. Miller forces a clinch an they trade round-knees to the body. Holloway slips in a few fast straights on his way into the clinch and Miller lands a short horizontal elbow. Miller drops with a leg scissor and it’s a confusing choice until he emerges with a leg lock. It’s crafty but Holloway is in no danger. 10-9 Holloway.
R2: They joust from range with Miller throwing front kicks and Holloway jabbing from orthodox. Holloway fires a left upstairs and follows with a spinning kick to the body that connects. Miller looks to counter clinch on a Holloway combo but can’t lock horns. Short counter left hook lands for Miller, who changes levels for a single on the next exchange. Holloway spins out and they restart on the feet.
Holloway throws a spinning back fist that bounces off Miller’s head but the pair clash heads unintentionally on the next exchange. Miller gets the worst of it and shows a sizable gash over his left eye. Miller snaps off a one-two on the restart and slips a long jab through. Miller lands a stiff outside low kick. Holloway switches back to southpaw. Miller cracks a right kick to his ribs. Holloway throws another spinning kick but he’s off-balance and they clinch, then separate without incident. Glancing outside low kick from Miller and Holloway misses with a flying knee but scores a takedown in the closing seconds. Miller complains to the ref about another head butt. 10-10.
R3: Holloway stays busy with crisp counters. Miller whiffs on a sloppy left hook. Holloway lands a shot downstairs, then closes a charging three-punch combo with a spinning back fist. Inside low kick from Miller. Holloway flurries with a combo though Miller seems to block most of the shots. Holloway scores over the top and then straight to the body with his left.
Holloway’s next spinning back fist comes up short but he clips Miller hard with a left in the next exchange. Holloway clinches up and thwacks Miller with a left horizontal elbow before separating. With the condition of Miller’s damaged eye worsening, Holloway keeps the pressure on with methodical bursts of strikes. He hits a takedown with 30 seconds left and quickly backs out to resume on the feet. Holloway finishes in style with a Capoeira martelo kick, a hook to the body and a pair of spinning heel kicks. 10-9 Holloway. I have it 30-28 his way.
- Max Holloway defeats Cole Miller by unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Neil Magny
R1: Kunimoto draws first blood with a retreating right cross. Magny walks him down behind long strikes but is yet to connect clean. Magny stays on the hunt and finds the mark with a right hand. Kunimoto counter clinches and works for a body lock but Magny cracks a knee off his cup. We pause while he recovers. Kunimoto eats a knee to the body while coming in on the restart. Magny keeps the pressure on and lands a left/right combo, then a knee to the body from the clinch.
Kunimoto circles him onto the fence and works for an outside trip that Magny defends. Short rights to the jaw from Magny as he circles off the fence, working his own outside trip. Left knee to the body with wrist control scores for Magny. And another. Two shoulder strikes from Magny on the clinch break. They clinch up again with Magny switching to the Thai plum to set up his body knees. 10-9 Magny.
R2: Magny dings Kunimoto with consecutive rights to start the 2nd. They clinch with Kunimoto circling Magny onto the fence, then vice-versa before they separate. Magny, growing in confidence, locks horns again but Kunimoto hits a slick inside trip to complete the takedown. Kunimoto bases down in a high half guard, looking for a pass to mount with Magny’s head on the fence. Magny re-secures half guard by palming Kunimoto’s thigh.
Magny swivels for a triangle, forcing Kunimoto to back out. Magny boots him off, creating enough space to stand up. Magny goes hard to the body with knees from the double necktie, then steps back to attack with punches. Kunimoto clinches to stifle the barrage, then pulls guard with his hands locked in kimura position. Magny postures up and hammers rights to the ribs, then a nasty succession of elbows to the inner thigh. Kunimoto turtles and Magny takes his back, flattens him out and fires unhindered right hands to the head. 10-8 Magny.
R3: Magny comes out firing one-twos, then hits an easy takedown. Kunimoto turtles again and Magny takes his back with both hooks in. Magny looks to flatten him out with an underhook and bombs many, many lefts off Kunimoto’s head. He switches to the mata leao and forces the tapout.
- Neil Magny defeats Kiichi Kunimoto by submission (rear-naked choke), R3 1:22
Daniel Kelly vs. Patrick Walsh
R1: Walsh opens with short clubbing rights and Kelly slices in a long left counter. Walsh continues with step-in rights from southpaw and lands a few, then connects flush on an overhand left. Another short right lands for Walsh, followed again by a heavy left. What seemed primitive at first is turning into a fairly sneaky boxing game for Walsh until he gets dinged with a hard shot from Kelly.
Kelly doesn’t seem to notice and Walsh recovers and resumes throwing. Walsh gets too predictable with his lead rights and Kelly stings him again. Another left gets through for Kelly. More waist-level right hooks lead things off for Walsh. Kelly slips in another quick left. Walsh hits a double to close the frame. 10-9 Walsh: I had the impression he landed a bit cleaner and hard early in the round.
R2: Walsh sticks with the same routine, knifing forward with repeating rights. Kelly bobs his head back with a double jab but Walsh dings Kelly with a heavy shot, then with a short right. We pause as Kelly loses his mouthpiece. Kelly lands a left over the top. Walsh continues to dangerously launch punches from his pockets. Both fighters digging their feet in and attacking.
Kelly a bit too complacent in the role of the counter striker. Walsh wades forward constantly with bent-arm left and rights, landing less often than Kelly but with more power. Kelly snaps a left through Walsh’s guard but Walsh responds with a clubbing right. 10-9 Walsh.
R3: Nothing changes as the 3rd starts as a carbon copy of the first two. Walsh ducks his head down and heaves short right and left hooks as Kelly tries to time precise counters, and both men are only vaguely effective. Kelly tracks Walsh’s head position with consecutive left uppercuts. Walsh mixes in a halfhearted takedown attempt. Kelly finds more success in this round with counter jabs and a clean parry. Clean one-two lands for Kelly. Walsh lands an inside low kick. Kelly counters with a left downstairs.
Kelly now making effective use of his length and range as Walsh’s output and success rate dwindles. Kelly scores again with a counter left. 10-9 Kelly. I have it 29-28 Walsh.
- Daniel Kelly defeats Patrick Walsh by unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Michel Prazeres vs. Kevin Lee
R1: Lee flicks a few kicks from range, then stuffs the takedown of Prazeres initially, but riskily falls back for a guillotine. Prazeres pops his head out and hops on Lee’s back during the escape attempt. Lee stands up and Prazeres cinches on the body triangle; Lee spins into him to break it, then denies a single leg with his back on the cage. They separate and Prazeres chucks two heaters that inspire Lee to shoot. Prazeres defends. Lee lands a left hook and right body kick.
Prazeres tries to counter the next body kick with a right but whiffs. Prazeres glances with a tight short-range hook. Clubbing counter left from Prazeres. Lee answers, as does Prazeres, but with more snap. Grazing one-two for Lee. Lee starts to find his rhythm from range with long jabs and crisp one-twos. Prazeres flails forward and falls onto his back, and Lee waves him back up. Prazeres lands another short left hook. 10-10.
R2: Lee catches Prazeres low with a front kick but he’s game to resume. A very confident Lee fires off a combination that starts with his hands at waist level. Short right lands for Lee as Prazeres shoots. Lee loses his balance on the attempt but regains it to defend. They separate and Prazeres forces a single leg; Lee stops it initially but goes down when he throws some downward elbows. Lee gets back up but Prazeres drives him back down.
Lee hits a switch to stand back up and Prazeres stays glued to him. Lee catches Prazeres off-guard with a counter takedown and finishes it. Prazeres looks to sit up with a counter single and Lee steps over to prevent it. They separate and restart on the feet with Lee working his jab. Prazeres lands a counter left and Lee gets deep on a double leg to finish it. Prazeres closes his guard and looks for posture control as Lee mashes short rights into his ribs. Prazeres opens his guard for a loose armbar attempt but nothing’s doing. Lee holds position and sneaks in some careful punches. 10-9 Lee.
R3: Lee attacks the winded-looking Prazeres with more long jabs and one-twos. Clean left hook scores for Lee and Prazeres grazes with a counter shot. Lee initiates a clinch and throws rights to the body, then disengages. Prazeres sloshes forward into a body knee from Lee, and Lee’s confidence is soaring. Dropping his hands sporadically, Lee flings jabs and one-twos through the porous defense of Prazeres.
Prazeres lumbers forward with a single-leg attempt; Lee shucks it off and pops Prazeres with a right. Lee has a high kick blocked but he secures the double leg that follows with ease. Prazeres again sits up in pursuit of a counter single leg, then tries to sit out. Lee stays on him, belting the now turtled Prazeres with right hands. Prazeres eats a steady diet of right hands while trying to stand up, then gives up his back with a few seconds left but rides out the round. 10-8 Lee. I have it 30-27 his way.
- Kevin Lee defeats Michael Prazeres by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades
R1: Kelades looks to force a clinch and Borg lands a short kick to the body while retreating. Borg changes his momentum and takes Kelades down from the body lock. Kelades gets head control and closes his guard. Borg postures up but Kelades immediately threatens with an armbar to dissuade him. Borg stabilizes and Kelades readjusts his angle and gets closer on the armbar before Borg breaks his grip.
Kelades starts to stand up, Borg cinches on a guillotine from the front headlock and Kelades hits a nice counter takedown. Kelades in side control for a moment before Borg bucks him off. Borg keeps him on the cage and lifts him up with a strong double leg. Kelades gets halfway back up and Borg locks his hands together and carries Kelades for a few steps before driving him back down. Borg powers into full mount with 30 seconds left, takes back control while throwing right hands, then sets up a smooth arm triangle that’s deep, but he doesn’t have time to finish. 10-9 Borg.
R2: Kelades flurries wildly to open the second and Borg backs him off with a combo and a high kick before clinching. Kelades slips in a knee to the midsection. Borg again hoists Kelades off the ground and nails an emphatic double leg. Kelades gets a high guard and into double armbar position briefly, forcing Borg to back out. Borg maintains top control and steers Kelades’ head onto the fence. Kelades spins into an armbar, then transitions to a loose leg lock attempt that Borg punches his way out of.
Half back-ride for Borg while throwing short lefts to the noggin. Seatbelt position for Borg in back control interspersed with choke and neck-crank attempts. Kelades spins into Borg, who counters brilliantly with a Brabo choke. Kelades patiently fights his way free. Borg again closes the round on a submission attempt, this time a front choke.10-9 Borg.
R3: Borg converts the front kick that Kelades opens with into a single leg takedown. Kelades begrudgingly falls back into guard and Borg lands a short forearm. Now a few short hammer-fists from Borg, who’s high in half guard. Kelades looks for a deep-half guard sweep and Borg nearly cinches on an armbar in a scramble. Borg, despite only being in half guard, reaches over for a kimura attempt. Kelades tries to counter with an ankle pick but Borg wrenches the kimura and forces the tapout.
- Ray Borg defeats Chris Kelades by submission (kimura) R3 2:56
Fox Sports Prelims Results
Efrain Escudero vs. Rodrigo de Lima
R1: Escudero stays light on his feet while stinging from outside with a long jab. De Lima scores with an inside low kick. And another as a counter to Escudero’s right hand. They exchange low kicks. Escudero plasters de Lima with a right hand that puts him on roller-skates momentarily. De Lima goes after a double leg and Escudero hoists him off the ground awkwardly but can’t hit the slam.
De Lima takes his back in the ensuing scramble but doesn’t have room to secure position with his back on the fence. Escudero fights his way out and dings de Lima with another clean right hand. De Lima clinches and lands a knee to the body as Escudero is regaining his footing, then sneaks behind him to hit a takedown from the rear waist lock. Escudero spins to face de Lima on the way down, falling into full guard. De Lima passes to half guard and lands a few knees to the body. 10-9 Escudero.
R2: Escudero scores first with a combo. Low kick from de Lima. Escudero wades in with an uppercut and we pause for an unintentional poke to Escudero’s eye. Escudero lands an overhand right. And another that briefly wobbles de Lima. De Lima fakes a right hand to set up a takedown attempt that Escudero easily stuffs. De Lima backs off and shoots again to no avail.
After stabilizing his balance, Escudero spikes down a few elbows while de Lima’s in on his hips. Not liking the strikes, de Lima pulls guard and closes it. An elbow to the sternum and a forearm to the face from Escudero on top. No posture control from de Lima and he pays for it in the form of a few scorching punches from Escudero. De Lima, potentially gassed out, is content to hang out and eat punches with a closed guard. 10-8 Escudero (only a strike or two from de Lima coupled with failed takedown attempts and pure defense).
R3: Escudero, clearly the fresher fighter, opens the round with a pair of stinging punches sfrom distance. Now another that bobs de Lima’s head back followed by a flurry, many of which land. De Lima goes for a low single amidst the barrage and surprisingly gets it; Escudero quickly works back to his feet. Easy double leg for Escudero in open space. De Lima gets full guard and closes it, offering only a halfhearted sweep attempt from deep half guard in the stretch that follows.
Escudero plays it smart by maintaining position and chipping away with short punches to the body. De Lima is again content to lay flat on his back with a closed guard. He attempts a few hammer-fists but ultimately spends the last two minutes eating sporadic ground-and-pound from Escudero. 10-8 Escudero. I have it 30-25 his way.
- Efrain Escudero defeats Rodrigo de Lima by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Jim Alers vs. Chas Skelly
R1: Skelly lands an overhand right right out of the gate. Alers responds with a right cross. Skelly connects with a clubbing counter hook. Alers catches Skelly’s kick and converts it into a single leg. Alers keeps the leg trapped and cleverly rolls into an inverted heel hook. Skelly counters with his own leg lock to back Alers off, then commits to the attempt. Alers sits up to alleviate the pressure and Skelly lands a few heel strikes to the back.
Alers steps over and spins out at the halfway mark and they restart on the feet. Alers lands a glancing one-two, then a stiff right after stuffing a takedown. They both connect on left hooks in the next exchange. Skelly barges forward with an uppercut and Alers returns the favor after nullifying another Skelly takedown attempt. Alers gets double underhooks to circle off the fence, then keeps Skelly there with a body lock. Alers lets it go while knifing with short rights to the ribs. 10-10.
R2: Alers lands a sharp inside low kick. Hard counter right from Alers. Skelly responds with a lunging uppercut, then a left hook. Snapping inside low kick scores for Alers, then he glances with a short up-knee from the double collar-tie. They exchange right hands but Alers, based on the way he stumbles backwards, gets the worst of it. Skelly attacks with another right that grazes Alers before clinching up.
Skelly locks his hands on a single leg but can’t run the pipe. He sticks with it, forcing a stalemate until Alers dings him with a short uppercut. Inside low kick again for Alers, and Skelly changes stances afterward. Skelly, looking fatigued, heaves a labored left hook before diving on a takedown attempt. Alers resists fights his way off the fence. Skelly throws a long one-two that glances, then plasters Alers with a pair of right crosses. Alers is hurt; Skelly flurries to put him away, though he lands a vicious knee to the head during the finishing sequence that might have been illegal.The replay shows that Alers’ hand was unquestionably down during the knee strike.
- Chas Skelly defeats Jim Alers by TKO (punches/knee) R2 4:52
Tim Elliott vs. Zach Makovsky
R1: Elliott starts fancy with a wild, modified cartwheel kick. Elliott charges Makovsky while heaving tight rights and lefts, prompting Makovsky to change levels and take him down. Makovsky spends some time on top but can’t mount much offense while containing the slippery Elliott, who eventually escapes back to his feet. Elliott takes an unintentional eyepoke but waves it off. Makovsky sinks the floor in pursuit of a single leg and finishes beautifully.
Makovsky passes Elliott’s open guard and then craftily takes his back during the escape attempt. Elliott tries to spin out and Makovsky passes to north-south position. Elliott spins out again and breaks Makovsky’s front headlock to restart at distance. Elliott stays aggressive with punches but Makovsky once again times a takedown as Elliott sits down on a combo. Elliott tries the guillotine sweep but Makovsky stabilizes himself in open guard. Elliott flurries with elbows on the bottom, attempts an inverted armbar and then resumes his striking. Makovsky steps over into crucifix position and closes the frame dotting Elliott with left hands. 10-9 Makovsky.
R2: Makovsky snaps off a low kick to the upper thigh, then clinches up with Elliott, securing the single leg after the body-lock throw fails. Elliott is still resilient, popping back up to his feet and plugging Makovsky with a short uppercut. Now Elliott anticipates Makovsky’s level change while heaving punches, sprawling out of it and then riskily falling back for a guillotine. Makovsky works his way out and goes to work in Elliott’s open guard.
Elliott is once again busy with elbows and strikes off his back, which buys him enough space to stand back up. Lunging and angled right hands lead Elliott’s attack on the feet. Makovsky lands a left shovel punch while circling to his right, then hits a duck-under double leg to counter Elliott’s next charging flurry. Elliott boxes the ears with both hands, then switches to after negating Makovsky’s pass attempt. No other offense nor attempts from Makovsky, and the ref stands them up. Makovsky scores with a shot before the bell rings. 10-9 Elliott.
R3: Makovsky dives on a double leg and Elliott stuffs it, though he gets overzealous with his counter striking and foolishly falls back for another guillotine when Makovsky shoots again. Makovsky pops his head out and pinches Elliott’s knees together to prevent the escape. Elliott gives up his back on an escape attempt and Makovsky immediately sinks both hooks in. Elliott stands up with Makovsky in tow and opts for the fall-back slam. Makovsky remains attached and undaunted, still pursing the rear-naked choke.
Makovsky traps one of Elliott’s arms with his back-control hooks but Elliott manages to hand-fight the choke with his lone free arm. Elliott spins into Makovsky, gets in guillotine position and then hoists him up to drop him for another fall-back slam. This one does seem more effective and it allows Elliott to finish the frame in top control. 10-9 Makovsky. I have it 29-28 his way.
- Zach Makovsky defeats Tim Elliott by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
James Moontasri vs. Cody Pfister
R1: Pfister walks Moontasri down but Moontasri catches him with a quick and short jump knee. Pfister clinches and attacks the waist with a double leg as Moontasri gets a wide base and drops elbows. Pfister responds with a shot. Moontasri bails on his underhook for the Thai plum and lands a solid knee to the chin. Moontasri pursues Pfister, who clinches up to slow the pace. Pfister stays after a double leg as Moontasri pelts him with short punches and elbows while resisting the takedown attempt.
Moontasri once again switches from the over-under clinch to the Thai plum and bangs a knee into Pfister’s chin. They finally separate and Moontasri lands a spinning kick to the gut, then follows with an exceptionally controlled and accurate flying knee. Pfister is hurt but managing to survive. After he gathers himself, he stands back up but Moontasri belts him with another knee. Pfister creates enough space to stand up and launch a counter takedown; Moontasri sprawls and reaches over the turtled Pfister to pick an ankle. Moontasri lets the ankle go to finish the round raining down more elbows. 10-8 Moontasri.
R2: Moontasri backs Pfister off with a stiff right hand, then counters Pfister’s straight-line barrage with another methodical up-knee that lands. Pfister tries his luck on the feet for a moment, then dives on a single leg attempt that Moontasri easily evades and counters with a high kick that misses. Pfister hits the mat to dodge the kick and Moontasri pounces, taking back control and cinching on a rear-naked choke.
- James Moontasri defeats Cody Pfister by submission (rear-naked choke) R2 1:49
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