Brandon Thatch finally has a date set for his long awaited Octagon return.

On Thursday, the UFC announced the welterweight knockout artist will meet kickboxing standout Stephen Thompson on the upcoming UFC Fight Night in Colorado.

Thatch (11-1), a Denver native, will enter this as one of the hottest prospects in all of mixed martial arts. In his most recent outing, ‘Ruckus’ walked away with a first round submission victory over Paulo Thiago at UFC Fight Night 32 in November 2013. This performance not only marked Thatch’s second straight win under the UFC banner, but also gave him his 10th straight first round stoppage victory. However, various injuries have continued to plague 29-year-old’s promising career. He was originally scheduled to face Jordan Mein at UFC Fight Night 49 before being forced to pull out with a toe injury. Thatch also boasts an astounding record of six career knockouts ending in less than a minute.

Thompson (10-1), a multiple time kickboxing champion, will enter this bout riding a four-fight win streak, with his lone career loss coming against the red-hot Matt Brown back in 2012.. In his last fight, fans saw the man known as ‘Wonderboy’ earn a decision victory over Patrick Côté at UFC 178 in September. Prior to this win, Thompson walked away with back-to-back TKO victories over Chris Clements and TUF: Smashes winner Robert Whittaker.

This card is currently scheduled to take place on  Saturday, February 14 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. A main event has yet to be announced. FOX Sports 1 will air the event, with tickets going on sale in December.

Here is how card the rest of the card is shaping up:

  • Brandon Thatch (11-1) vs. Stephen Thompson (10-1)
  • Max Holloway (11-3) vs. Cole Miller (21-8)
  • Zach Makovsky (18-5) vs. Tim Elliott (10-5-1)
  • Ray Borg (7-1) vs. Chris Kelades (8-1)

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.