UFC 82 invades the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, March 1, airing live on PPV at 10 p.m. ET. In the main event, UFC middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva takes on Dan Henderson, who is the last 185-pound champion of the former PRIDE organization. Also on the card, the return of former middleweight champion Evan Tanner against Yushin Okami, plus fights involving Chris Leben, Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez, Jon Fitch, and former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. To help you get ready for UFC 82, CBSSports.com gives you a complete look at each fight on the card, with analysis from our knowledgeable MMA writers. Take a look, and then discuss your own predictions on the message board at the bottom of this page. Fighter photos courtesy of UFC.
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Denny Burkholder: Since 1997, Henderson has fought a long list of elite fighters -- names like Wanderlei, Nogueira, Rua, Belfort, and of course, Rampage. Not one of those guys found a way to knock Hendo out. That, more than anything else, is what will keep this fight close. Henderson's toughness will meet its match in Silva's lethal striking. Can Henderson avoid a KO here too? I think so, but I believe Silva will outscore him in the process and win a decision.
Sam Caplan: It's the clinch vs. the body lock! If Henderson can control the distance while also getting Silva to respect him as a puncher, then he can close the gap and body lock Silva. In doing so, he will neutralize Silva's ability to throw knees and prevent himself from getting trapped in Silva's clinch. Once he smothers Silva he can then either press him against the cage and use some dirty boxing tactics or use a trip takedown and take the fight to the floor where he'll have a decisive advantage. Silva has good pure jiu-jitsu skills but his overall MMA ground game is lacking. Henderson will win this fight by exploiting Silva's subpar wrestling ability.
Gregg Doyel: There can't be more than five fighters in the world, 205 pounds or less, who can beat Dan Henderson -- but Anderson Silva is one of them. Silva's too good standing, and even if Henderson can use his superior wrestling to get him to the ground, Silva will find a way to submit him or rack up points trying to do so. I see Silva winning by TKO in the fourth.
Todd Martin: Henderson has the wrestling ability to exploit Silva’s takedown defense, but it remains to be seen if he will exploit that advantage. Henderson likes to stand and bang, even against high level strikers. If Henderson comes into the fight with a conservative ground and pound game plan, I feel very confident that he will win. But I don’t expect him to do that. He’s more likely to roll the dice and rely on his vaunted chin, and that’s a dangerous game to play with Silva. I’m picking Silva.
Ben Fowlkes: Silva has looked almost superhuman in his last few fights, but Henderson presents a different kind of challenge. At middleweight, few people can rival Hendo’s strength, not to mention his raw tenacity. He might be perfectly suited to take advantage of Silva’s poor takedown defense, though takedowns alone rarely win a fight. Henderson will need to fight smart and wear Silva down, and I think he’ll do it. Henderson by decision or late TKO.
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