MMA Analytics 03.03.08: UFC 82 Recap

Posted by Leland Roling on 03.03.2008

UFC 82 didn't disappoint. It provided us with one of the most shocking main events of the year in Anderson Silva dominating Dan Henderson. Although Henderson was stylistically the best matchup for Silva, Silva proved that he deserves to be labeled the best pound for pound fighter in the world. We'll look at that matchup and more in this edition of MMA Analytics.

UFC 82 held up it's end of the bargain on Saturday night. It provided us with an exciting main event matchup that didn't disappoint. The supporting fights didn't kill the crowd with boredom either. Anderson Silva was able to stunningly finish Dan Henderson via rear naked choke toward the end of round 2 to maintain the UFC's Middleweight title. Heath Herring proved that even his untrained ground game was good enough to defeat the lacking Cheick Kongo. Chris Leben began a winning streak, Okami finally finished an opponent, and Jon Fitch worked a typical ground and pound gameplan. It was a night of surprises and some predictability, yet the card didn't disappoint on an entertainment level.

Anderson Silva dominates Dan Henderson, who can challenge?

The consensus throughout the MMA community on Saturday was that Dan Henderson posed the biggest problem stylistically for Anderson Silva. His Greco-Roman background was thought to be the controlling skill that would eventually wear Silva down on the ground and put away a big win for Dan Henderson. Unfortunately for Henderson and the fans, his wrestling style has never been as big of a factor as many fans believe.

Henderson had a great first round. He was able to put Silva to the floor and work a great top control game that Silva simply rode out until the end of the round. Although it was a good first round win, the damage was minimal, and it was obvious during the standup in the round that Henderson was outclassed in the striking department.

Silva's striking didn't disappoint. During the second round of battle, Silva caught Henderson with some great strikes and a good knee that stunned the PRIDE champion. Once stunned, Silva moved in for the kill. He was able to secure the hooks in, get Henderson's back, and sink in a rear naked choke that ended the battle with only eight seconds left in the round.

Silva's dominance is astounding. The only real competition was thought to be Dan Henderson, and Silva was able to run through him as if he were just another opponent in the division that was incapable of challenging his skills. Silva's ground game was proven to be capable of stopping a great wrestler, although he was controlled early in the bout with top control. The problem is that gaining that position is inherently tough for any fighter that has to push through Silva's offensive weapons.

Who's next for Anderson Silva? With Henderson out of the picture and no challenger in line, it's very tough to say. The UFC may finally give Yushin Okami his title shot after defeating Evan Tanner on Saturday night, but he shouldn't present a significant problem for Silva. Will the UFC finally consider Matt Lindland? He has recently been rumored to have signed with Golden Boy Promotions, so it's likely to be out of the question. The UFC was adamant in stating that they would not sign Lindland, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Unfortunately for the fans, this may be the last time in a long time that we will see Silva challenged. Congratulations to the pound for pound best fighter in mixed martial arts, he deserves it.

Herring crushes Kongo on the ground, proves Kongo needs work

Heath Herring didn't train on the ground for this fight. In fact, the post-fight interview confirmed that Herring seriously believed that the matchup would stick to a striking battle between the two big men. His gameplan was obvious, press the pace and get in Kongo's face from the get go. Unfortunately for Herring, Kongo's defense was to throw him to the floor and try to impose his will on Herring's face.

Herring had a tough battle ahead of him. After being plopped on his back multiple times during the fight, Herring went back to the basics. He reversed his position a few times during the fight that put him into some prime positions to crush Kongo's midsection with knees on the ground. Kongo had zero defense against Herring's ground and pound, and he resorted to simply trying to avoid the big knees without ever trying to push Herring off. This was Kongo's biggest weakness during the battle.

Herring continued his side control beating in the third round, solidifying a judge's decision that he rightfully deserved. Cecil Peoples once again found that Kongo won the fight somehow, and his judging is once again under question from the many fans watching the bout. Nonetheless, Herring came out with a much needed victory over an up-and-coming contender.

Where do both fighters go from here? Nowhere. Herring has mostly been deemed a gatekeeper, although his skills do present the potential to bring him up further in the division. He has veteran experience with battles against some of the best in the business. He has survivability and a decent ground game to complement an adequate striking game. Can he move into the upper echelon of the division? It's possible, but unlikely. Kongo will likely get another mid-echelon fighter to fight, but we could see a potential Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic rematch in the future once Mirko appears for DREAM in Japan. It'll be interesting to see who the UFC matches these two heavyweights up with in the next coming months. The division's outlook is grim with talent leaving the UFC, so look for new talent to fill the gaps. Cain Velasquez could be the next big thing in the UFC.

Leben, Okami, Fitch are all victorious

Chris Leben has had a rejuvenation. His cardio and physique are showing signs of big improvement, and his heavy hands are still a big part of his game. Alessio Sakara's boxing skills proved to be a problem early, but as Leben stated to Joe Rogan, "Box a brawler, brawl a boxer". That's exactly what Chris Leben executed. He brawled in the corners with Alessio Sakara and ended up catching him hard with two big lefts that put Sakara to the mat. Leben should get a step up in competition soon enough.

Yushin Okami may have proved that he deserves a title shot. He was the better striker and better wrestler in his matchup with Evan Tanner. Okami caught Tanner with some choice shots early, and was able to impose his will on Tanner when the fight hit the floor as well. It looked as if Okami was cruising to another decision win when he caught Tanner flush with a knee that knocked out Tanner and ended the fight immediately. Okami finally finished an opponent, and it may be the big win he needs to finally get a shot at the title.

Jon Fitch maintained his standing in the UFC's Welterweight division. He fought a tough, relatively unknown Chris Wilson. Wilson had a great wrestling background, unbelievable training team, and visibly better standup. His strikes were hurting Fitch significantly early, but Fitch was able to work his wrestling ground game effectively to pound Wilson to a decision win. Will Fitch finally get a title shot? I imagine Karo may be in line before Fitch, but Fitch showed some signs of weakness in this battle. He may need to run through another opponent with some good striking to prove that he can hang around.

Preliminary action

Arlovski won his final UFC bout over Jake O'Brien via a second round TKO due to strikes. Will we see the big striker back in the UFC? It's tough to say, but I'd put my money on Andrei jumping ship and moving over to another promotion. M-1 Global was the rumored suitor, but things in M-1 seem to have taken a turn for the worst as Monte Cox commented on the possibility of the promotion trying to move on without Fedor. Their heavyweight division would suffer greatly without him.

TUF Alumni Josh Koscheck and Diego Sanchez both impressively finished their opponents on Saturday night. Koscheck and Hazelett had an interesting battle that made the televised portion of the event. Hazelett caught Koscheck early with a stiff kick to the head, but Koscheck returned with a huge haymaker that stunned Hazelett. Both fighters were visibly hurt by the blows, but lasted the round. During the second, Koscheck took control and crushed Hazelett with a head kick of his own. Koscheck followed with some ground and pound to end it. A good win for Koscheck, but it definitely hurts Hazelett's chances of moving up in the division. Koscheck has been involved in rumors of possibly jumping ship as well, but this may have locked up the chance of gaining some better figures when contract time comes around.

Sanchez impressively defeated David Bielkheden, who was thought to be a much tougher challenge than the outcome of the fight, in the first round by submission. Sanchez stated that he had been improving his strength, and it looks like he's come back into competition with a vengeance. Look out for Sanchez's skills to begin improving with a newfound focus.

In other action, Luigi Fioravanti defeated Luke Cummo via a dominant unanimous decision. Jorge Gurgel also edged out John Halverson in the first fight of the evening.

Final thoughts

Who can challenge Anderson Silva now that the best contender out there was crushed by his skill? There really isn't an answer for the question. Undoubtedly, Yushin Okami will get the title shot he deserves, but is that a challenge? Most would say it isn't. The coming year will prove to be very interesting for Joe Silva because he must find a diamond in the ruff that can knock off the giant.

For the most part, the event didn't prove much as far as divisional matchups go. Herring and Kongo aren't exactly upper echelon material in the Heavyweight division, but they may move up much quicker than we anticipate. The division's talent pool is lacking, and many of their stars either are leaving or could be leaving soon. It's up to the UFC to maintain the talent and bring in some new talent as well. Once again, keep an eye out for Cain Velasquez. He recently signed on for a UFC 83 bout, and has been touted as the next great fighter in the division.

The rest of the winners simply proved their standing in the division. Fitch is on the outside of the title picture looking in, Leben is gaining some ground in a weak Middleweight division, and Okami should be getting a shot at the title soon enough. We didn't learn too much about the winners this evening that we didn't already know, but the UFC could still surprise us. It should be an interesting few months, but we should all be looking forward to Ultimate Fight Night 13 on April 2. It'll be three hours of action on SpikeTV that features one of the most stacked cards imaginable. Be ready for it.

Leland Roling is the editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com