UFC Fight Night 60 takes place tomorrow night in Colorado and we’ve got our predictions for all the bouts for you below.
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Main Card:
Ben Henderson vs. Brandon Thatch
This is a slightly tricky fight to call since we’ve never seen Henderson fighting at 170lbs before and he’s doing so at short notice. On the other hand we’ve never seen Thatch coming up against a fighter of this caliber before and he’s also returning after over a year out due to injuries.
If Thatch is able to keep this fight standing he’s got a really good chance. He’s a very dangerous, aggressive striker who’s punches, knees and kicks are all equally deadly. Add to that the fact that he’ll be enjoying a 5″ height and 4.5″ reach advantage and things begin to look very positive for him indeed on the feet.
Thatch has become accustomed to finishing his fights quickly though – in fact only one of his 12 career fights to date has gone beyond the first five minutes, and on that occasion it turned out to be the only defeat on his record, losing by split decision. Henderson is a master of the five round fight courtesy of his championship runs in both the WEC and UFC, so that’s sure to factor into his gameplan here.
Henderson has a strong ground game, but he’s largely abandoned it in recent times which feels like a mistake – he’s at his best when being dynamic and mixing things up and he’ll definitely have to do that on Saturday night.
I’ve wavered on this pick a bit, but I’ll stick with my original feeling that Henderson can survive the early storm and drag Thatch into deeper waters than he’s been accustomed to with more of an emphasis on wrestling than his recent performances to claim a decision victory.
Ben Henderson to win by decision.
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Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller
On the feet I’d say Holloway has a significant advantage here. Miller does have the height and reach advantage, but Holloway is much more of a technician on the feet and I don’t think he’ll have too much difficulty finding a home for his crisp punches.
Miller is a real threat on the mat with submissions and could certainly force a tap in this fight, but he’s not got a great takedown game to back it up and that’ll be a problem against Holloway who’s not easy to take down.
So, it looks like being largely a striking battle here and Miller’s toughness may see him last the full 15 minutes, but it should be Holloway who emerges with his hand raised.
Max holloway to win by decision.
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Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Neil Magny
Magny is on an impressive five fight winning streak at this moment in time thanks to his effective striking, while Kunimoto has also compiled a nice three-fight unbeaten stretch in the Octagon courtesy of a more grinding approach that’s punctuated by a good submission game.
I think Kunimoto’s ceiling is lower than Magny’s though and I think he comes undone tomorrow night with Magny able to keep this fight standing and land enough strikes to produce a finish in the second half of the fight.
Neil Magny to win by TKO in Rd2.
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Daniel Kelly vs. Patrick Walsh
Kelly is an Olympic level Judoka who’s added a nice line in submissions to his offensive output, while Walsh is more of a straight down the line wrestler.
There’s a bit more to Kelly’s game overall, but in this instance I think Walsh’s may just win out here as he grinds to a decision win.
Patrick Walsh to win by decision.
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Michel Prazeres vs. Kevin Lee
Two lightweights coming off back-to-back wins here. Prazeres is something of a takedown machine, but in Lee he’s facing a solid wrestler who’s the more capable fighter at striking range.
This could prove to be a close one, but I think the two’s wrestling and clinch work will largely cancel each other out with Lee making the more meaningful impression on the feet in-between times to catch the judges attention.
Kevin Lee to win by decision.
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Ray Borg vs. Chris Kelades
Two talented flyweights here, but Borg is the one with real potential to make an impression in the UFC with strong takedowns and excellent jiu-jitsu.
Borg is particularly adept at transitioning to his opponent’s back and I’m tipping him to showcase another of his trademark rear-naked choke submissions here to claim a second round victory.
Ray Borg to win by submission in Rd2.
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Prelims:
Nik Lentz vs. Levan Makashvili
Efrain Escudero vs. Rodrigo Lima
Jim Alers vs. Chas Skelly
Tim Elliott vs. Zach Makovsky
Jake Lindsey vs. James Moontasri
