Brandon Thatch. (Getty Images)
Denver mixed-martial arts fighter Brandon Thatch jumped into the main event slot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Fight Night card at the FirstBank Center in Broomfield next month, the UFC announced Tuesday.
Thatch’s bout against Stephen Thompson, originally scheduled as the top undercard on Feb. 14, will now be a five-round fight airing nationally on FS1.
The former main event, between Matt Brown and Tarec Saffiedine was scuttled after Saffiedine was injured. Brown will now go against Johny Hendricks at UFC 185 on March 14.
Thatch (11-1) is on a quick rise in the welterweight division after winning his first two bouts since joining the UFC in 2013, then earning a knockout victory over Justin Edwards.
But he was sidelined last year with a broken toe and his eager to return.
“The time off is the worst thing,” Thatch told The Denver Post recently. “I feel like a border collie who’s been stuck in a kennel all day.”
