With many changes and a weird week for the promotion, the UFC had Saturday night all to itself to bring their 60th Fight Night event to Broomfield Colorado. While hometown favorite Neil Magny (14-3) prevailed the headlines, favorite Brandon Thatch (11-2) would not enjoy similar success.

Only one month from his previous fight, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (22-5) pulled off something special by submitting the larger Thatch deep in the championship rounds. Coming in as an underdog, Henderson proved that not only can he find a place in the welterweight division, but he may just be good enough to contend.

Thatch is a guy everyone was high on, but his layoff from injuries kept his status dormant. A win here would have shot him up the ranks in the top-heavy division, but this loss should not hurt him too badly. If anything, it is a learning experience as Henderson showed what type of game a fighter had better bring to the table when fighting a championship-level athlete.

Benson showed a good enough chin and found a home with his right hooks to the body, which is a move we see him doing more often. All the work to the body slowed down the bigger fighter, which allowed Benson to take this match to the ground and work the finish. With Henderson on his back, Thatch had no answer and would ultimately submit after he showed a second wind from not too much earlier. It was a back-and-forth battle that seemed to be a theme of the night as most of the fighters stood in the pocket and traded all day.

The battle-tested night would have its marquee fight between Max Holloway (12-3) and Cole Miller (21-9). The outstanding striking of Holloway was on full display as he dealt with the range of Miller. There were two headbutts that may have changed the emotional pace of the fight for Miller. Not only were they both unintentional, but it looked as if Cole pulled Max to him to initiate the contact. Regardless, it was one of the most entertaining fights of the night and more proof that Holloway is on the rise after his loss to McGregor. After the fight, Jon Anik announced that Joe Silva has placed him against Cub Swanson next in the upcoming April 18 Fight Night card from Newark New Jersey.

If Magny did not get your vote for best fighter of 2014, then he is one step closer to doing it this year. Now on a six-fight win streak, he made good work on Kiichi Kunimoto. Controlling the fight from the start, Magny showcased a predator-styled assault, cutting off the cage and not allowing Kiichi to get comfortable. In front of his home audience, he rocked the the Japanese fighter time and time again, but in the third round, Magny was able to get the finish he was searching for. Tonight, he looked like a top-ten fighter in the welterweight, and we cannot wait to see whom he gets next. It could possibly be the winner of next week's co-main with Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson or someone like Gunnar Nelson.

The fight between Daniel Kelly (9-0) and Patrick Walsh (5-2) will be garnering any fight-of-the-night bonuses, but it would still be a good victory for the former Aussie Olympian. Both fighters also pulled off a striking display, but it was not near the magnitude of the fight before. After three sloppy rounds, the accuracy of Kelly is what prevailed to win him the decision.

The second fight was a stand-up, bang-it-out affair between Kevin Lee (10-1) and Michel Prazeres (18-2). Both fighters attempted takedowns, but only Lee found success with them. The young confident fighter stood in the pocket all night with the powerful Brazilian and out struck him to mix with his takedowns. He was never out of control and even withstood a bunch of shots from Prazeres. Lee has the skills to continue to be dangerous for the 155 division and should get a Top-15 fighter next.

The first bout in the main card for UFC Broomfield matched up Ray Borg (8-1 ) and Chris Kelades (8-2). Borg tore through the division with his submission wins as he pulled off an crazy kimura submission over Kelades. Cleary on his way to winning the fight based off his dominate takedowns, Borg was intent on securing the finish he and his coach knew would be available. Once he locked in the hold, it took Kelades only a few seconds to put on the arm-lock submission and make Kelades tao. This was another great showing for the kid who will clearly be moving up the 125 ranks.

Next up for the UFC is UFC Fight Night Mir - Silva on Sunday February 22.

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About the author
Travis Brown
Travis has been covering the sport of mixed martial arts for the past three years. He has been a fan of combat sports all of his life and looks to bring his bettors perspective to the Vavel family. Mixed Martial Arts is a global sports and there is no better place for it than Vavel.