5 UFC prospects who turned out to be busts

#5 Brandon Thatch

Brandon Thatch looked like a possible title contender in his initial UFC run

A sometime training partner for the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Nate Marquardt, Brandon Thatch gained a lot of steam as a prospect after racking up an impressive 9-1 record on the smaller circuit. Huge for a Welterweight, Thatch became known for his brutal Muay Thai techniques and rock-solid takedown defence. The word was that he was skilled on the ground too, though he hadn’t shown much of that game prior to entering the UFC.

In his first two UFC fights, he didn’t need to. He destroyed a pair of solid fighters in Justin Edwards and Paulo Thiago – taking both men out in under 2:30 with his violent kickboxing game, even forcing the tough Thiago to tap to strikes following a knee to the body. Stardom looked like it would follow and after some injuries kept him out for some time; he was matched with Benson Henderson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 60 in February 2015.

Thatch and Henderson put on a Fight of the Year Candidate over four rounds, but although Thatch landed some nasty shots, Henderson was able to outlast him and tapped him out in the fourth round. And from there, everything went wrong. He was dropped by Gunnar Nelson in his next fight before being choked out, and another period on the shelf followed.

A fight with kickboxer Siyar Bahadurzada was made for UFC 196, but rather than putting on a striking match, Bahadurzada used his little-known ground game to control Thatch on the ground before tapping him with an arm triangle. A last-chance fight with newcomer Niko Price ended in similar fashion – Thatch was tapped out in the first round that time.

The problem for Thatch seemed to be a combination of a weak ground game and his large size for 170lbs causing him to gas early. With some work, he could probably make it back to the UFC as he clearly has deadly skills standing, but for now, sadly, he goes down as a bust.