Almost nobody gave former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight kingpin Benson Henderson a chance against the highly touted wrecking machine that is Brandon Thatch on short notice, but not only did "Smooth" hold his own, he earned his most impressive victory inside the Octagon to date.
On just two weeks' notice -- and fighting in the welterweight division for the first time against a much bigger man -- Henderson broke down the hometown favorite Thatch in the main event of UFC Fight Night 60 this past Saturday night (Feb. 14, 2015) from inside the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado (highlights here).
After a rough first two rounds for the former champ, "Smooth" stormed back in the third and fourth, showing off his championship spirit en route to an unbelievable rear-naked choke in the fourth frame.
It was truly one of the most awe-inspiring victories inside the Octagon in quite some time, and Henderson reveled in his moment to shine. But as always, the MMA community could not wait to here what was next for "Smooth."
Although the former champ threw his name in the ringer to face off against Rory MacDonald in his post-fight interview -- following Hector Lombard being yanked from their scheduled welterweight affair at UFC 186 due to a positive test for steroids -- UFC President Dana White shot that down in a hurry, claiming "Red King" already had a fight lined up.
Leading up to fight night, Henderson was asked nearly a dozen times whether he would be staying in the 170-pound division -- which he noted would more than likely be only a temporary romp as a "favor" to UFC brass -- but after such a dramatically impressive performance in Colorado, it would be hard to suggest the former champion return to his old stomping grounds in the lightweight division.
Henderson has lost two straight lightweight bouts -- although his unanimous decision loss to the streaking Donald Cerrone last month at UFC Fight Night 59 was hotly contested -- so his options may be limited in the stacked 155-pound division.
Considering "Smooth" is fresh off a submission victory in the 170-pound division, maybe the former champ does decide to stay and take a crack at the Top-10 -- although he will be giving up a ridiculous size advantage.
If Henderson opts to stay at welterweight I would be interested to see bouts against former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine, or resurgent contender Thiago Alves. If lightweight is in the MMA Lab Product's future, I would love to see him fight the winner of Edson Barboza vs Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 61 next weekend.
Regardless of "Smooth's" next move, we can bask in the glory of his incredible short notice victory in Colorado on Valentine's Day evening for the foreseeable future.
For more results and fallout from UFC Fight Night 60 including play-by-play, videos, reactions, recaps, and more, check out our "Henderson vs Thatch" live story stream right here.