UFC signs Colorado-based welterweight Brandon Thatch to multi-fight deal

Brandon Thatch thought a UFC deal was just around the corner.

Turns out he was right. The Colorado-based welterweight has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion. Sources close to the fighter on Wednesday confirmed his signing to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), though he doesn’t have his first fight lined up yet.

Thatch (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in April told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he believed he would soon be signing with the UFC based on his most recent win, and that premonition was spot on.

In March, Thatch, who trains at Grudge Training Center near Denver, won his eighth straight fight when he submitted Mike Rhodes midway through the first round of their fight at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 7 at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo.

“I’ve just been taking care of one fight at a time and training as hard as I can,” Thatch told MMAjunkie.com Radio after that win. “I put in the work at the gym and the outcome handles itself. It’s ideal for where I’m trying to head, but I continue to strive to get to the UFC and I just keep doing what I’m doing – and I’ll be there shortly.”

Thatch’s lone loss came in 2008 when Brandon Magana took him the distance and walked away with a split decision at a Strikeforce show at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

Since then, he has eight straight first-round stoppages – five knockouts and three submissions. His resume includes a win over Chidi Njokuani, the younger brother of UFC fighter Anthony Njokuani.

Grudge’s relationship with the Tristar Gym in Montreal also has given Thatch opportunities to train with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. And those opportunities, along with his training partners at Grudge, have had Thatch feeling ready for the UFC level for a while.

“I train with UFC athletes all the time and I feel like I’m at the same level – or if not, just a little under,” he said. “I feel like I’m ready for the big leagues, and there’s no reason I couldn’t compete (in the UFC).”

Now he’ll get his chance.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.