In a return to Columbus, Ohio, UFC 82 “Pride of a Champion” was headlined by a title unification bout between the defending UFC 185-lbs champion Anderson Silva and the last Pride FC 183-lbs champion, Dan Henderson.
John Fitch vs Chris Wilson
The televised broadcast started off with John Fitch (7-0 in his UFC career) taking on UFC newcomer Chris Wilson in a welterweight bout. Wilson started strong, surprising Fitch with crisp standup and excellent takedown defense. Fitch secured a takedown late in the first round but was not able to capitalize. Wilson appeared to have won Round 1.
In the following two rounds, Fitch was able to get the takedown earlier in the round and controlled Wilson on the ground, scoring points but not damaging his opponent. Wilson had some submission attempts and the final round ended with Fitch inside of Wilson’s triangle, but it was not enough. Fitch took the unanimous decision with the scores of 29-20, 30-27, 30-27 in what was a fairly boring fight.
The aftermath: Fitch remains undefeated in the UFC and has now won 8 consecutive bouts in the Octagon. He is certain to get a title shot soon (though despite his long winning streak, he looks far from ready to take on George St-Pierre.) Wilson fought well in his debut and is likely to be back for another chance in the UFC.
Fight grade: 2/5
Yushin Okami vs. Evan Tanner
Ring rust was evident in Evan Tanner’s first UFC bout in over 2 years. Tanner was not able to get any offense going, and got dropped by Yushin Okami’s punch in the first round but recovered quickly. In Round 2, Okami utilized the clinch to his advantage, eventually landing a knee to the chin that knocked Tanner out cold.
The aftermath: With this victory, Okami becomes the most likely contender for the 185-lbs title. Tanner’s comeback match has been a flop, but he is rumored to be on a four-fight contract with the UFC so he will get another chance – probably against a lower-level opponent such as Jorge Riviera or Kendall Grove.
Fight grade: 3/5
Chris Leben vs. Alessio Sakara
This fight was a brawl as expected. Sakara’s boxing looked sharp as usual in his first fight at 185 lbs, but his lack of chin and power both betrayed him again. Both fighters came out swinging, and Sakara out-landed Leben but could not hurt him. Leben absorbed the punishment and kept coming, eventually landing a combination against the fense and dropping Sakara with a couple of left hooks. Leben followed up with several strikes on the ground, and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Sakara protested the arguably early stoppage.
The aftermath: Leben racks up another KO win and moves up in the 185-lbs hierarchy, but he still absorbs too much punishment along the way to hang with the top guys in this division. Sakara was plagued with the same problems at 185 that he had at 205. I do not see a future for him in the UFC.
Fight grade: 4/5
Cheik Kongo vs. Heath Herring
In the heavyweight showdown, “Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring dropped Kongo to a knee with the very first punch he threw. Kongo quickly recovered and took Herring down. To everyone’s surprise, Kongo controlled Herring on the ground for the majority of the first round, scoring points with ground-and-pound even though Herring had a few nice sweeps and reversals.
In the second round, Kongo once again looked to take the fight to the ground, but eventually ended up on the bottom with Herring in side control. This position proved to be Kongo’s downfall, as he was unable to escape and absorbed knees to the body for the remainder of the round. Round 3 was not much different, with Herring scoring from side control. Herring took the split decision, with 29-28 for Heath on two scorecards, and 29-28 for Kongo on the third.
The aftermath: After a disappointing start, Herring finally solidified his position in the UFC HW division with a win over an upper echelon contender. Kongo looked good in defeat, showing marked improvement in his ground game though it still needs serious work.
Fight grade: 3/5
Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson
The main event of the evening was one of the most anticipated bouts in recent history – personally, I haven’t been this hyped for a fight since Liddell – Ortiz I. The tension was palpable as the opponents circled and measured each other for the first minute. Henderson attacked with his patented overhand rights, but Silva evaded and answered with front kicks to Henderson’s face. Henderson got a takedown from a body lock and landed in half guard. Henderson used one hand to cover Silva’s mouth to disrupt his breathing, while striking with the other hand. Henderson briefly gained side control, but Silva recovered full guard as the round came to a close. 10-9 round for Dan Henderson.
In Round 2, Silva briefly took Henderson down but Dan got right back up. They clinched and Silva started to land strikes. Henderson caught a knee on the chin and dropped down for a takedown, but Silva ended up on top. Silva eventually took the back of the still-hurt Henderson, and forced the tap with a rear naked choke with only 10 seconds left in the round.
The aftermath: Anderson Silva, now 6-0 in the Octagon, looks completely unstoppable. Yushin Okami looks likely to be his next victim, unless Anderson looks for a bigger challenge in another weight class. Henderson has yet to taste victory since his return to the UFC. He should face Nathan Marquardt, or the winner of the upcoming bout between Rich Franklin & Travis Lutter.
Fight grade: 5/5
Josh Koscheck vs. Dustin Hazelett
In a preliminary bout, Hazelett rocked Koscheck with a kick to the neck as soon as the fight began. Koscheck absorbed some punishment but recovered, taking Hazelett down with a big slam. Hazelett attempted a triangle as the round drew to a close. In the second round, Koscheck caught Hazelett with a head kick of his own, knocking Dustin down but slipping and falling in process. Koscheck popped right up and pounced on Hazelett, landing right hands that caused the ref to step in for a TKO.
The aftermath: An unlikely exciting performance by Koscheck, who was in the last fight of his UFC contract, should significantly up his chances of re-signing for another attempt to make a run at the 170 belt.
Fight grade: 4/5
The event started out slow, but quickly improved as the night went on and closed out with a spectacular main event. It was disappointing that Diego Sanchez & Andrei Arlovski bouts were not televised (though there was very little filler during the broadcast). In between bouts, Mark Coleman was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and announced that he will make a return to competition in the Octagon this summer to face fellow former NCAA wrestling champion Brock Lesnar.