On a night in Columbus when the original UFC Heavyweight Champion and tactician behind the ground’n'pound “The Hammer” Mark Coleman became a legend joining the UFC Hall of Fame, UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva knocked on that same hallowed door.
The kickboxer from Curitiba vanquished former PRIDE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion “Hollywood” Dan Henderson in a rear naked choke at 4:52 of the second round.
The first round illustrated why Henderson, 22-7, was pegged as Silva’s last great challenge at 185-pounds.
The wrestler from California nixed the champion’s world class stand-up with lateral movement that prevented Silva from setting and delivering his laser-like strikes.
Henderson grabbed hold of the “Spider” and dumped him to the mat in an awkward half guard that allowed “Hollywood” to smother Silva while peppering him with hammer fists.
The frustrated champion endured to the second frame.
In a sloppy Thai clinch, Silva slammed a knee to Henderson’s chiseled chin, causing the the top contender to crumble.
Silva pounced! A barrage of strikes convinced Henderson to give up his back, the fatal flaw leading to a rear naked choke submission with just eight seconds to spare in the round.
While UFC broadcasters Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan wondered allowed who could challenge the champion, Silva seemed to indicate a third tussle with former UFC Middleweight Champion “Ace” Rich Franklin was due.
In the broadcasted card’s only heavyweight rumble, “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring tumbled into a split decision “W” over Cheick Kongo of France.
The Parisian kickboxer insisted on wrestling, to the surprise of everyone including Herring. Kongo dumped the Texan by force of will, but never capitalized on his advantageous ground positions as Herring consistently swept and reversed into safer territory.
In the end, Herring’s pitter-patter of pounding and Kongo’s cluelessness on the mat served Herring the “W” and a possible rematch with current interim UFC belt holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whom Herring came within a hair of beating last year.
In untelevised heavyweight action, former UFC titlist “The Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski wrapped-up his current UFC contract and possibly his Octagon career with second round TKO of Jake O’Brien.
Arlovski has openly entertained the idea of quitting the UFC for greener opportunities.
Another pair of middleweights made the PPV broadcast when former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner was knocked silly…er with a knee from the Thai clinch by Yushin Okami.
The fight was Tanner’s first since April 2006 and the vet seemed to gas late into the first round before eating the death blow at 3:00 of the second.
18-4 Chris Leben TKO’d 185-pound newbie “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara of Italy at 3:16 of round one.
“The Crippler” Leben knocked Sakara to his back with a left hook behind the ear, then pounced on the Roman with six unanswered punches before referee Herb Dean waved the affair closed.
Welterweights Josh Koscheck and Dustin Hazelett lit each other up for a round before a Koscheck kick found the button behind Hazelett’s ear a minute into round two. Koschek pummeled the fallen fighter until the referee called it a TKO for Koscheck.
The PPV opened with the longest three rounds of my life between welterweight contender Jon Fitch and UFC-debuting Chris Wilson of Team Quest.
Wilson spent most of his Octagon initiation on his bicycle while Fitch tried to chase him down. The judges awarded Fitch a unanimous decision for aggression and superior wrestling positioning.
The rest of the untelevised portion of the card included a unanimous decision “W” for 12-3 welterweight Luigi Fioravanti over Luke Cummo, who falls to 6-5.
“Nightmare” Diego Sanchez was tossed a bit of red meat in Sweden’s David Bielkheden after dropping two consecutive fights. Sanchez devoured Bielkheden in a first round strikes submission.
Lightweight Jorge Gurgel took a unanimous decision over John Halverson to improve to 12-3, 3-2 in the Octagon.
UFC 82 sold out Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
