Benson Henderson (photo via UFC.com)

By FCF Staff

Benson Henderson had talked about moving to welterweight in the past, so when the UFC approached him about fighting Brandon Thatch tonight, the former lightweight champ was clearly on board.

While Henderson has long been regarded as one of the best and most complete fighters at 155, it remains to be seen how he does against larger opponents like Thatch. The 31 year-old recently spoke to UFC.com about tonight’s bout, and that subject, and here is some of what he had to say:

“I don’t expect fighting at 170 to make that much of a difference for me,” Henderson said. “I have thought about 170 for a long time and [John Crouch] and I have planned for it. We have sparred with plenty of guys at that weight and I’ve always held my own. I’ve always done pretty well. I think there are pros and cons to it. You definitely give a little bit up in strength, but I don’t think it will be too much. You prepare for that, but you also hope you’ll be gaining that much more of an advantage in speed, quickness and agility.

“You also hope you pick up an advantage in the athleticism department. Guys who are smaller typically have a bit more agility than guys who are heavier. There are pros and cons to it, but I’m hoping the pros are definitely going to outweigh the cons.”

Henderson is coming off a tightly contested, decision loss to lightweight contender Donald Cerrone last month. Thatch, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since November, 2013, when he stopped Paulo Thiago.

UFC FN 60 will be hosted by the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.