The Spider remains on top at UFC 82
The main event was a middleweight showdown between UFC champion Anderson Silva, pictured right, and PRIDE champion Dan Henderson. The winner of this bout would be the undisputed king of the 185 lb division. Silva, a maui thai expert from Brazil, came into this fight undefeated in the UFC, while Henderson had dropped down from 205 after a loss to current light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson. Both fighters promised an exciting fight and they did not disappoint. After about a minute of feeling each other out, Henderson used his Olympic wrestling skills to bring Silva to the mat and keep him there for the better part of the first round. The second round belonged to Silva. Textbook striking and powerful knees brought Henderson to the ground, allowing Silva to sink a rear naked choke ending the fight at 4:52 of the second round.
Silva's win not only brings his professional MMA record to 21-4, but also solidifies his place atop the 185 lb ladder. Many fight analysts, including UFC President Dana White, are calling Silva the best pound for pound fighter in the world today. In six UFC fights, Silva has yet to see the third round. He has stopped a who's who of fighters, including two dominating performances against former champ Rich Franklin. The future for Silva seems uncertain. With almost no one left to fight, the question is what's next? In post fight interviews Silva expressed interest in dropping down or moving up in weight and entertained the idea of boxing.
“People say MMA isn't very technical, it isn't a very noble sport ... so I would like to take on a 185 lb boxing champion to prove it is technical,” said Silva speaking through an interpreter.
Other fights on the card included heavyweight Heath Herring winning in a split decision over Chieck Kongo. Chris Leben dominated Alessio Sakara with a TKO in the third minute of the very first round. Yushin Okami spoiled the comeback of former middleweight champ Evan Tanner with a KO in the second round. Jon Fitch increased his win streak to 15 straight with a unanimous decision victory over Chris Wilson. Former heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski looked like his old self with a TKO victory over “Irish” Jake O'Brien. Luigi Fioravanti ground out a decision win over Luke Cummo. Josh Koscheck landed a beautiful head kick to KO Dustin Hazlett in the best fight of the night. Diego Sanchez submitted David Bielkheden in round one and Jorge Grugel won in a decision over John Halverson.
