BROOMFIELD, COLO. -- Benson Henderson has won four UFC title fights in his career. None of them might have been as impressive as what he did this weekend.
Henderson (22-5) submitted Brandon Thatch in the fourth round of a welterweight bout inside 1stBank Center on Saturday. The tap came at the 3:58 mark, due to a rear-naked choke.
It was the former lightweight champion's 170-pound debut --- and it came on short notice, as Henderson agreed to fill in late for an injured Stephen Thompson.
Considered a huge welterweight, Thatch (11-2) dwarfed Henderson inside the cage and won the first two rounds. Henderson weathered the storm, though, and came on late.
"Hey, sometimes, guys, you've got to go out and test yourself," Henderson said. "I didn't know if I could win this fight. A lot of times, you have to do what you don't know.
"Every win you get, whether it's your first fight, amateur, local fights -- whether it's winning and defending a UFC championship -- every win is the most important win of your career."
Henderson, 31, had been noncommittal prior to the fight on whether he would stay at 170 pounds or move back to the 155-pound division. Immediately after his result was read on Saturday, Henderson issued a challenge to welterweight contender Rory MacDonald, who had a bout canceled earlier this week due to a failed drug test by Hector Lombard.
"I hear there's a big name, MacDonald, needs a fight," Henderson said. "If he still needs it, I'm game."
UFC president Dana White stated MacDonald (18-2) already has an opponent booked, but the fight is not ready to be announced. White said he would leave the decision of weight class up to Henderson.
"He looked unbelievable tonight against a tough, big guy," White said. "It was insane. He looked so good. You know me. I'm not a big fan of small guys moving up to bigger weight classes, but how can you deny him? He looked unbelievable."
After years of competing as a large lightweight, Henderson had to significantly change his tactics as the much smaller man. He utilized all of the Octagon against Thatch, circling constantly along the perimeter of the cage, darting in here, in there with right uppercuts to the body and straight lefts.
Thatch, who hadn't fought since November 2013 due to injury, handled Henderson's elusiveness well in the early rounds. He calmly stalked Henderson with right hands and kicks. When action went to the trenches, Thatch threw relatively effective knees to the body.
Henderson managed the offense well, though, absorbing single shots but staying clear of the welterweight's full power. He went to the well with the right hand to the body and wore his opponent out with constant movement. Although Thatch never completely gassed, he looked sluggish by the fourth round.
"Going out there and getting the W," said Henderson, on his game plan going into the fight. "Whatever it takes to get my hand raised. I knew he would come out in the first round like a monster. I didn't want to run away, but the dude is huge. I wanted to be more elusive and in the second, third, fourth rounds, pick it up."
The high pace seemed to wear on Thatch, who had not fought past the first round since 2008, after the second round.
He easily stuffed several deep takedown attempts by Henderson, but persistence eventually paid off and Henderson took him down midway through the third.
Henderson immediately took Thatch's back and started to hunt a rear-naked. Thatch, who wore welts under both eyes after the fight, fought off Henderson's submissions the remainder of the round before eventually succumbing to them in the fourth.
"I think I got too confident in the clinch," Thatch said. "I let him get a lot closer than I should. Benson is a vet and an athlete and I think I let my confidence get the best of me. I didn't stick to my range.
"I got a little more comfortable with the clinch than I should have."
According to immediate Fightmetrics stats, Henderson and Thatch landed a nearly identical amount of total strikes, at 83 and 81, respectively.
Henderson improves to 10-3 under the UFC banner. Thatch falls to 2-1.
Holloway wins fifth consecutive fight
Max Holloway added to an already impressive UFC résumé, defeating Cole Miller via unanimous decision.
Holloway (12-3) battered Miller on the feet and escaped a few submissions en route to his fifth consecutive win. All three judges scored the featherweight fight for the Hawaiian: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Immediately after the win, the UFC offered Holloway a fight against Cub Swanson (21-6) on April 18 in Newark, New Jersey.
In the second round, Miller (21-9) got the worst of an accidental head-butt. The collision opened a cut near his left eye and appeared to cause him significant pain the rest of the fight.
Moments after the initial head-butt, Miller complained to referee Adam Martinez of a second foul, as Holloway pressed forward into the clinch. Martinez made no motion to stop the action, which visibly infuriated Miller.
Miller's best work came in the first round, as he was able to land several kicks to the body at range. Holloway appeared slightly tentative trying to get inside Miller's length and ate several knees in the clinch when he did make it inside.
Holloway found his range in the second and third rounds, however, opening up on Miller with spinning back fists and kicks. He refused to follow his opponent to the floor, after Miller would fall to his back after some scrambles.
With the cut bothering Miller in the final round, Holloway started to pour it on. He hurt Miller with a counter right hand late. Miller tried to fight his way through it, throwing defensive shots after retreating to the fence. Holloway showed composure, following him to the edge of the cage and targeting the body.
Miller, 30, sees a two-fight win streak snapped in the loss. He fought just once in 2014 due to injury, earning a submission win against Sam Sicilia in January.
Magny proved to be too much for Kunimoto
Following a 5-0 showing in 2014, Neil Magny kept momentum going in the new year.
Magny (14-3) proved to be too much for Kiichi Kunimoto in a one-sided welterweight bout. The Colorado resident beat up Kunimoto in the first two rounds and submitted him in the third. Referee Herb Dean waved off the bout at the 1:22 mark, after Kunimoto tapped to a rear-naked choke.
A former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Magny has now won six in a row -- the longest active winning streak in the UFC's 170-pound division.
The outcome was never really in doubt. Magny took the center of the cage early and hurt Kunimoto in the first round with a straight right at the end of a combination. He chose to fight Kunimoto heavily in the clinch, despite tagging him nearly at will from the outside.
Magny forfeited a Kunimoto takedown in the second round, but managed to create space with an upkick and rise back to his feet. He hurt Kunimoto again with a left hook, right uppercut combination and finished the round on Kunimoto's back, raining down unanswered shots.
Kunimoto was finished at that point. Magny hit him with the jab and a right hand to start the final round, before dropping for an easy double leg. Kunimoto gave up his back moments later, which led to the choke.
"Fighting at home here in Colorado was unbelievable. I was so glad to be able to get the opportunity to do that," said Magny. "He's got some great fights under his belt and it felt awesome to come out here and get the W over a guy like that. I felt him fading away and I was grinding trying to get a TKO or submission. I saw him pull his head up and the choke was there."
Magny, 27, is now 7-2 in the UFC. He got off to a 1-2 start in 2013, but has since rebounded with six consecutive wins, including three finishes. Kunimoto loses for the first time since May 2012.
Kelly outlasts Walsh
Four-time Australian Olympic Judoka Dan Kelly earned a unanimous decision against Patrick Walsh in an ugly middleweight fight.
Kelly (9-0) put his judo skills on the shelf for this one, opting to stand and trade with Walsh for 15 minutes. The result was a definitive, but sloppy, affair. Judges scored it for Kelly by scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Fighting with his hands low, Walsh attempted to suck Kelly into long exchanges in the pocket. The Aussie appeared to prefer more of an outside approach, flicking out his jab and occasionally following it with a straight left.
In the first round, Kelly rocked Walsh (5-2) with a hard left hand but, for whatever reason, elected to not go after him. Walsh's knees visibly buckled and he started dancing around the cage in an attempt to show he wasn't hurt. Apparently it worked, as Kelly moved along with him but was content to not pressure and look for a finish.
Walsh attempted one takedown, unsuccessfully, in the second round. Other than that, it was essentially a boxing match between the two former TUF contestants.
"I'm happy with a win, but I'm not happy about my performance," admitted Kelly after the fight. "Fans that know me, know that's not typically my style of fight. Patrick was a tough one and I knew I had to avoid the clinch. I was trying to move and hit him, move and hit him. This is only my second decision. I heard the boos and I want all the fans to be happy. I learned a lot from this by having the extended time in the Octagon and gaining some experience there. My next performance will definitely be better."
Kelly, 37, is now 2-0 in the UFC. Walsh, who missed weight badly for the middleweight bout, drops to 1-1.
Lee dominates Prazeres
Kevin Lee extended his current win streak to three in a unanimous decision over Michel Prazeres.
Lee (10-1) outworked Prazeres everywhere and showcased a far better gas tank in the thin Colorado air. All three judges scored it for the 22-year-old Lee: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
The lightweight bout didn't bring the house down, but it was an important win for Lee against a 20-fight veteran in Prazeres (18-2). Immediate Fightmetrics stats showed Lee outlanding Prazeres in total strikes.
Action was fairly even on the feet, as Lee looked to work his jab and set up the right hand. He ate several hard right-hand counters from Prazeres though, including one in the third round that sent him retreating backward.
Prazeres attempted to take Lee down at several points in the fight but struggled to do so. Several times, he ate a series of elbows to the side of the head trying to force a double-leg on Lee against the fence. His best offense was definitely the counter right, which he landed sparingly.
Both lightweights looked tired in the final round. Lee appeared willing to brawl with Prazeres in the pocket, but after catching the hard right on the chin, he elected to take the Brazilian down with two minutes left to seal the deal. He finished on Prazeres' back, searching for a rear-naked choke.
"I'm a big strong lightweight, so I felt like I could match his strength and push the pace a little harder. And I felt like I hit pretty hard, too, and that's what took it out of him," Lee explained. "I can move in there pretty well, and I definitely felt my speed was an advantage. I knew I was pretty close to getting the finish, especially when I had his back. He's a big strong guy, so I knew I had to keep the distance and I just had to keep him from grinding on me. I wanted to make it an exciting fight for the fans, so I hope I impressed some people."
Lee moves to 3-1 in the UFC. The former Division II NCAA collegiate wrestler has won all three fights via decision. Prazeres falls to 2-2 in the Octagon.
Borg ends Kelades via kimura
Rising flyweight prospect Ray Borg earned his second win in the UFC, submitting Chris Kelades via kimura in the third round.
Borg (8-1) dominated Kelades on the floor, nearly submitting him multiple times before eventually netting the finish. Martinez stopped the bout at the 2:56 mark.
According to immediate cageside stats, Borg converted five of six takedown attempts over the course of the fight. He easily moved from one dominant position to another, threatening Kelades with an arm-triangle in the first round and a deep guillotine in the second.
Kelades (8-2), who had never been finished previously, found himself on the defensive throughout. He attacked Borg from off his back at times, but was mostly neutralized by Borg's top game. The Canadian falls to 1-1 inside the UFC.
"I'm just disappointed I didn't pull the trigger when I needed to," Kelades said after the fight. "I feel like I lost to myself tonight by not doing what I know I should have. I don't feel like I gave it my best effort and didn't do what I set out to do. I just need to go back to the drawing board and get more comfortable with the standup game."
Borg, who fights out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, moves to 2-1 in the UFC. His loss came via narrow split decision to Dustin Ortiz.
"It was a fun fight. He's strong and real tough, real durable. It played into my favor," Borg said. "I felt like I was dominant in every part of the game and we ended up finishing it in the end. I'm up for whatever's next. This is a competitive wide open division and I'm here to compete."
