Riding High, Brandon Thatch Looks To Reevaluate His Gameplan For Top Competition
Rising UFC Welterweight contender Brandon Thatch has looked absolutely flawless in his first two UFC fights. He steamrolled Justin Edwards with a first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 27 in August, then followed that up by demolishing Paulo Thiago at UFC Fight Night 32 earlier this month.
The Denver-based “Rukus” has shown a lethal Muay Thai game that has the potential to give anyone at 170 pounds fits. He may be ready to begin an assault on the top ten, but he is still fighting in arguably the most talent-heavy division in all of mixed martial arts.
Thatch recently met up with MMA Junkie Radio to express his gratitude for how things have fallen into place. Thatch is also on medical suspension following his win over Thiago He’s looking to heal up and get back into the Octagon:
“I’m still riding a big high from this year. It’s exciting to see a few things pan out and come together like I thought they should. I’ve been nursing some injuries and getting by, but this last fight I pushed it a little too far. I’m going to get my body taken care of and as soon as I’m ready, I’ll be ready to rock and roll. I’ll be fighting sooner rather than later, for sure. I want to keep the momentum going and stay in it while I’m hot.”
That’s probably the best course of action, because in a division populated by such a diverse list of hungry contenders all clawing for a spot in the rankings, fighting at less than one hundred percent simply isn’t going to get the job done. Thatch knows this and plans on retooling his fighting style to adapt to the styles of his opponents:
“I’ve sat down with my coaching staff to talk about my fighting style. It’s been successful thus far, but as the competition gets more steep, I’ll have to reevaluate some of the game plans. There are guys you’ll have to outpoint, there are submissions, some guys are just tough and you have to go the distance. It’s a dangerous weight class all the way around. We’ve got juice to go all the rounds, and we still have knockout power. It’s an exciting weight class, for sure.”
It sounds like Thatch has a clear head on his shoulders, noting that while his fighting style has gotten him to where he is, he’ll still have to make some key adjustments to contend with the best fighters in the world. He’s also smart to give his body time to heal up from any injuries, as we’ve seen card after card ruined by big names being forced to withdraw.
The Welterweight division was never short on worthy contenders. With the rise of “Rukus,” the division got a huge, dangerous striker who is willing to adapt and learn as he goes. The future should be bright for the Coloradoan, who sits with an impressive 11-1 record. Is Thatch ready to fight the best?
