“UFC 82: The Stars Come Out”

Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva are going to fight to determine who is the greatest middleweight on the planet.

Just, think about that for a second.

The UFC is going to give the world a fight between two of the greatest – if not THE two greatest – middleweights of a generation.

In Henderson, you have a man that has lost once in his life at his natural weight, a 2006 decision loss to Kazuo Misaki. His is a middleweight career that that features wins over everyone from Yuki Kondo to Murilo Bustamante; his is a total career that features wins over everyone from Wanderlei Silva to Rodrigo Nogueira.

In Silva, you have a man so dominant in his UFC run – a run that includes Rich Franklin (twice), Chris Leben, Nate Marquardt, and Travis Lutter – that his entire Octagon time is 21:56. Anderson Silva is so great that he averages less than 5 minutes per foe.

With Paulo Filho looking anything but impressive during his WEC time and Matt Lindland seemingly vanishing from the division, it is Silva and Henderson that remain at the top. It is hard to imagine a better match to determine weight-class supremacy. Silva has dominated men using his Muay Thai clinch; Henderson has used his Greco-Roman wrestling clinch for years to find victory. Silva has punished men standing, knocking out 4 of his 5 UFC opponents; Henderson has knocked out people in different weight classes. Silva has tapped out black belts like Travis Lutter; Henderson has grounded and pounded black belts like Bustamante. The two match up in every way, with both men excelling at the other’s strength and neither having a discernable weakness.

The two greatest middleweights on earth are going to fight and it will be glorious.

UFC 82 is also notable for the depth of talent it features. Jorge Gurgel, Luke Cummo, Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, and Andrei Arlovski all fight – in dark matches. The main card is littered with Cheick Kongo and Heath Herring battling in a match that may produce a heavyweight #1 contender, Jon Fitch taking on former IFL fighter, Chris Wilson in a match that may showcase the next welterweight #1 contender, Yushin Okami squares off against Evan Tanner in a match that may feature the next middleweight #1 contender, and Chris Leben fights Alessio Sakara in a match that will just be two dudes that hit hard going at it.

In a week where TV deals and sponsorships are garnering all the attention, the UFC is somewhat quietly putting on a PPV more than worthy of being watched amidst today’s crowded market for entertainment time. No, it doesn’t have that one sexy match that automatically promises 600 PPV buys – no Brock Lesnar or Chuck Liddell on this card – and there isn’t even a promise that the show itself will be an action packed affair, as anytime you have a card loaded with top flight wrestlers you run the risk of a number of decisions. However, when it comes to giving fans the opportunity to see a real, true star in almost every match from the bottom of the card all the way to the top, UFC 82 delivers and then some.

Official Picks:

Dan Henderon D. Anderson Silva
Cheick Kongo D. Heath Herring
Chris Leben D. Alessio Sakara
Yushin Okami D. Evan Tanner
Jon Fitch D. Chris Wilson
Andrei Arlovski D. Jake O’Brien
Luke Cummo D. Luigi Fioravanti
Josh Kosechk D. Dustin Hazelett
Diego Sanchez D. David Bielkheden
John Halverson D. Jorge Gurgel

Mike Coughlin is the host of Five Star Radio, found exclusively at f4wonline.com. {plug}