After a fairly strong start of 2015, UFC has hit another slog. Though the first two Pay-Per-View events of the year were entertaining and brought strong ratings, the aftermath of the fights was overshadowed by the high-profile drug test failures in the main events of UFC 182 and 183. Meanwhile the “injury bug” has been taking some PED’s of it’s own, and pretty much decimated the next 3 upcoming cards, leaving us without much to look forward to in the month of February. Sure, there is a fight card every weekend for the rest of the month, but all three cards leave a lot to be desired. Let’s start with the upcoming UFC Fight Night 60: Henderson vs Thatch, broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Main Event: [#4 LW] Ben Henderson vs [NR] Brandon Thatch
Worth: $10
Why: Sometimes there is a bit of silver lining in all the line-up changes due to injuries, and we actually end up with a more interesting fight as a result. I believe this is the case here. Originally, Brandon Thatch was supposed to face Stephen Thompson on this card, as the co-main event to Matt Brown vs Tarec Saffiedine. After Saffiedine withdrew from the fight with an injury, Thompson vs Thatch was promoted to main event – until Thompson also dropped off the card. Fortunately, Ben Henderson was looking to make a quick turn-around and rebound from his two loss streak, and offered to move up to welterweight on short notice.
I find this fight to be slightly more interesting than either of the previously scheduled main events for this card, mainly because it’s a very unpredictable match-up of styles instead of striker-vs-striker. There are many other questions to be answered here: how will Henderson look as a welterweight, and how will he deal with the size disadvantage? Will Thatch be affected by the long layoff? Is he ready to take on an elite wrestler in his first five-round bout? I’m looking forward to finding out the answers on Saturday.
Fight: [#15 FW] Max Holloway vs [#29 FW] Cole Miller
Worth: $5
Why: This should be a fun, action filled fight between two featherweight veterans who have 26 UFC fights combined between them, despite Miller being 30 years old and Holloway only 23. It’s hard for me to imagine either man contending for the title any time soon (Holloway may eventually get there; Miller’s ship has probably sailed at this point). These two, along with the rest of featherweight division, are largely lost at the moment in the immense hype for the upcoming title bout between champion Jose Aldo and Connor McGregor.
Fight: [#28 WW] Neil Magny vs [#103 WW] Kiichi Kunimoto
Worth: $1
Why: Maybe I’m being unfair, but I perceive both Magny and Kunimoto as non-spectacular, grinding fighters. It’s also a bit of a mismatch from the rankings standpoint. Still, I’ll throw a dollar in to see just how much did Magny improve since his stint on TUF.
Fox Sports 1 Card Worth: $16
Event Price: $5 (see how I came up with this valuation)
Net Value: $11.00
Fight Pass Prelims Worth: $0
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Cost: $19.98
Fight Pass Year-to-Date Value: $-14.98
Fox Sports 1 YTD Worth: $39.50
Fox Sports 1 YTD Valuation: $16
Net Value: $23.50