It took Dan Henderson a mere 28 seconds to knock out rugged veteran Tim Boetsch Saturday in the main event of a UFC Fight Night event in New Orleans.
As Boetsch pressed forward early, the 44-year-old Henderson caught his opponent flush on the chin with his patented right hand, which spelled the beginning of the end. Henderson followed the right hand up with a knee from the clinch and a massive uppercut that sent Boetsch to the canvas prior to the referee stopping the fight.
The win was the 31st of Henderson’s Hall of Fame career and his first since last March when he knocked out Maurício “Shogun” Rua in dramatic fashion. Boetsch has now lost two in a row and three of his last four.
In the co-main event, Ben Rothwell made quick work of fellow heavyweight Matt Mitrione, locking in a modified guillotine choke and forcing a tap within two minutes of the first round. Cain Velasquez will look to defend his title against interim champion Fabricio Werdum next week at UFC 188 and it’s unclear who the next challenger would be should Velasquez emerge victorious. Rothwell has now finished three straight opponents, including former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem, and has put himself in a position to compete for the No. 1 contender spot alongside Andrei Arlovski and Stipe Miocic.
The event marked the eighth time the UFC has hosted a show in Louisiana and the first since 2011. A number of local celebrities took in the action including New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram.
Louisiana native Dustin Poirier set the home crowd ablaze with a brilliant TKO victory over rising lightweight Yancy Medeiros. Poirier rocked Medeiros early with a pair of crisp punches. As the crowd roared and Medeiros fell to the canvas, Poirier looked to sink in a rear-naked choke but his Hawaiian opponent defended well. When the two got back to their feet, Poirier continued his onslaught of offence before the referee mercifully stepped in and called a halt to the fight.
The win was Poirier’s second consecutive first-round stoppage victory since moving up a weight class to 155 pounds following a loss to 145-pound superstar Conor McGregor last September. Poirier is now 18-4 in his MMA career and 10-1 in the lightweight division.
Also on the main card, 24-year-old featherweight Brian Ortega remained unbeaten by defeating veteran Thiago Tavares by TKO late in the third round of a back-and-forth, fan friendly fight. Plus, bantamweights Anthony Birchak and Francisco Rivera impressed onlookers with quick first-round knockouts of Joe Soto and Alex Caceres, respectively.
In preliminary action, Shawn Jordan used a hook kick to lead him to a TKO win over fellow heavyweight Derrick Lewis and Joe Proctor choked Justin Edwards unconscious with a guillotine with only two seconds remaining in their lightweight bout.
Welterweight Brian Ebersole, a veteran of 70 pro MMA fights, injured his knee against Omari Akhmedov and was unable to continue beyond the first round. After the fight, Ebersole announced his retirement.
“I’m old, everything hurts,” Ebersole said in a post-fight statement released by the UFC. “Lifetime of wrestling takes a toll on you, getting your head pulled, knees banged up – I’m going to leave it to the young guys now. That’s it for me.”
