UFC 82 recap and final thoughts for 'Pride of a Champion'

UFC 82: "Pride of a Champion" went off last night without a hitch at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, before a crowd of 16,431 fans who paid a collective $2.2 million at the gate.
It was one of the most loaded cards from top to bottom in recent memory and the fights -- for the most part -- did not disappoint.
UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva continued his brilliant dominance over the 185-pound division, submitting Pride FC 183-pound champion, Dan Henderson, via rear naked choke in round two.
Henderson appeared to have the right gameplan heading in to the bout, controlling Silva on the ground for most of the opening frame and peppering him with short punches and elbows while in the top position.
But it all went south when the horn for the second round went off. Silva connected with big knee in the clinch that dazed Henderson and a follow-up punch sent him crashing to the canvas.
Henderson survived for the better part of the stanza, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt took his back and sunk in the fight-ending choke hold with a handful of seconds remaining on the clock.
Part of me wished Henderson held on for the final eight seconds and the two continued to battle it out. But would it have made any difference?
"The Spider" proved (again) that he is just in another universe -- he's made such quick work of so many very talented fighters. And there's just one man left to beat, Yushin Okami, before we can say that he single-handedly "cleaned out" the entire category.
Okami continued his winning ways with a knockout win over former middleweight champion, Evan Tanner. "Thunder" whipped out a very impressive clinch game and put Tanner to sleep with a crushing knee to the jaw.
Even before the fight ended, Okami was dictating the pace of the bout and landing hard, crisp straight left hand punches. One of which, in fact, dropped Tanner early in the fight.
It was a great performance without a doubt. But should Tanner have even been in that fight?
He's got such a great story and he is adored by fans and fighters alike. It was difficult to see him thrown into the deep end against a top dog like Okami and get beat up after a two-year break from competition.
Hopefully, Tanner rebounds and can find his old form his next time out. Okami, on the other hand, could be the next opponent for Silva.
Good luck, buddy.
Top welterweight contender, Jon Fitch, was also in action last night against Chris Wilson. The Octagon newcomer -- who trains with the prestigious Team Quest camp -- looked solid in his debut performance.
Wilson -- a southpaw -- has an awkward approach that appeared to give Fitch fits. The former Purdue University wrestling captain seemed like he had no other choice but to take the fight to the ground ... and that's just what he did.
Fitch seemed to break Wilson a little bit in the second round and he continued to roll in the third. It was a solid but not great fight and it'll be interesting to see if it was enough to earn Fitch a shot at the 170-pound crown next.
It's hard to argue otherwise: He's still undefeated in the Octagon, tying UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie for the most consecutive wins (eight) in the UFC.
That's impressive.
So, too, was Wilson in such a big fight. Hopefully, he sticks around and gets paired up with someone like ... Dustin Hazelett?
Just an idea.
The co-feature of the night was a heavyweight clash between Cheick Kongo and Heath Herring. This was a hard one for this writer to get up for, but both combatants turned in impressive performances and it was an entertaining fight.
Kongo -- a kickboxer -- appeared to develop a solid ground game virtually overnight, shooting for takedowns throughout the bout and scoring with them. It was a far cry from the man who got molested on the ground by Carmelo Marrero and could do nothing against Assuerio Silva.
It wasn't enough, however, because the rejuvenated "Texas Crazy Horse" was able to switch positions and do some damage while in side control.
Putting Herring inside the Octagon against division champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, does not seem likely -- he just lost to him (for the third time) at UFC 73: "Stacked" in July 2007.
That honor should go to Andrei Arlovski, who defeated Jake O'Brien last night via technical knockout in a weird fight. However, it was the last fight on his contract and he is now a free agent.
Hopefully, he returns ... the division needs him.
The other fight on the televised main card was a middleweight slugfest between Chris Leben and Alessio Sakara. It didn't hit the canvas once (to the best of my memory) and the two were like rock 'em sock 'em robots, with Leben finding Sakara's button late in the first frame.
Sakara wasn't pleased with the referee stepping in to rescue him, but "The Crippler" was teeing off on the unresponsive Italian the moment he was dropped with a looping left hook to the ear.
Leben is slowly creeping back in to the picture. And say what you want about him, but the guy puts on a hell of a show win or lose. He also knows how to pump up a fight.
Perhaps a rematch with Silva is in his future with a few more impressive performances.
Overall UFC 82 delivered the goods. All of the fighters who were favored to win (sans Herring and Luke Cummo) did just that.
Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck returned to their winning ways and could be on a collision course for a third and deciding match up later on down the road (provided "Kos" re-signs with the promotion).
Fitch possibly punched his ticket to a welterweight title shot and Okami perhaps did the same in the middleweight class.
In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if Arlovski does re-sign with the UFC that he, too, earned a crack at the heavyweight strap.
It was a meaningful night of fights with tons of implications going forward to say the least.
Now we just have to sit tight and wait for UFC Fight Night 13 on April 2 -- the next scheduled event for the UFC.
That seems so far away, but well worth the wait.
For blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the UFC 82: "Pride of a Champion" main card fights and quick results click here.
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85 comments
Comments
When are we going to see the rematch?
Or, if not a rematch, who will step up and fight Silva?
Big up to Hendo, I wish he would have landed that elbow that he threw from Silva’s closed guard in round 1. Sigh.
by Hendo's Determination on Mar 2, 2008 3:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there anyway that i can watch the andrea arlovski fight if so can anyone send me a link to watch the fight??
by Ricky on Mar 2, 2008 3:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I agree, I would have liked to see what would have happened if Hendo had made it to the 3rd round. He might have gotten back to his gameplan and could have ground out a win. That just proves that the Spider doesn’t give second chances. Okami, Arlovski, and Fitch definitely all deserved title shots. All should fear the Spider. Here’s something to think about. The Spider finished Hendo, but Rampage couldn’t. I wonder what this match-up would look like. That would be awesome.
by pez on Mar 2, 2008 3:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there anyway that i can watch the andrea arlovski fight if so can anyone send me a link to watch the fight??
You do not want to watch that fight. Period. I was there live.. AWFUL fight, it was terribly boring. I think 5 punches were thrown before Andrei got full mount and finished O’Brien. When Andrei was in full mount his punches looked extremely weak.
by "Mr. NC-17" on Mar 2, 2008 3:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anderson should jus move up and fight the Iceman
by TraF on Mar 2, 2008 3:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yea mania, is there a link you have for the AA fight?
by Kimura by Fedor on Mar 2, 2008 3:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
mr.nc arlovski looked amazing he was going against a fighter who’s one strength is wrestling and he demonstrated his skills against the takedown, his sprawl was beautiful, and the punches from the mount were not weak at all
by johnjohn on Mar 2, 2008 3:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Man after that first round i thought Hendo was on his way to a victory, man o man this fucken spider is poisoness. No point in making excuses for Hendo i would like to see a rematch doh, Hendo vs Franklin(who ever is #1 contender) then get his rematch.
Spider now is offically my #1 P4P!
Andrei vs Big Nog would be a great fight but id much rather Arlovski leave and go fight Crocop then Fedor(assuming he wins against Crocop).
Okami vs Spider i pressume is the next fight, course i said it before and ill say it again if Hendo cant do it nobody can.
by khaos_Warrior on Mar 2, 2008 3:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t care how boring it was, I need to see it!!!!
by Kimura by Fedor on Mar 2, 2008 3:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
if any of u have the link for the koscheck fight pleaseeee send to meeee
by yes on Mar 2, 2008 3:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t care how boring it was, I need to see it!!!!
I will tell you what happened.
1st round, Jake went for a takedown, stopped.. That happened practically the whole 1st round. Jake finally got ontop of Andrei, did nothing.
2nd round, sprawl, sprawl, takedown, nothing, Clinch, Andrei takes down, full mount, weak punches.
End of fight.
by "Mr. NC-17" on Mar 2, 2008 3:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
A question for all my fellow MMA fans….
Does anyone else agree with me that Anderson Silva needs to move up in weight? I don’t think there is anything left to prove for him at 185. He’s beaten pretty much every top contender in the weight class, sans Okami, and I think the main consensus is that Okami will do no better than the others.
Personally, I think its time for Silva to go up to 205 and give himself a whole new set of challenges. What do you guys/gals think?
by SecularHumanist on Mar 2, 2008 4:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anderson should jus move up and fight the Iceman
i don’t think Chuck could possibly do anything to Silva. Silva is just too damn good. Now a fight against Rampage would be nice to see, but most likely will never happen. Bet on Okami vs. Silva as his next fight.
by SpiderStyle on Mar 2, 2008 4:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Since the fight was a late addition, and Arlovski had not fought in nearly a year, he definately showed signs of ring rust. But his sprawl was the best I have ever seen. O’brien did not want to stand with him for 1 second, immediately shooting everytime he could. Eventually AA decided to take him down with a body lock and leg trip, landing in mount. He rained down powerful shots, but the ref did not step in. He admitted afterwards he did not want to injure O’brien, so his shots came with less authority and he looked to the ref to do his job. Eventually it was stopped, giving AA his third straight victory. 1.99$ ufc on demand.
by theCloser on Mar 2, 2008 4:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Congrats to Jon Fitch on the win, the streak and everything else you accomplished. Unfortunately, I do not feel that Fitch showed anyone that he is ready for GSP. A few more wins against top competitors are needed.
by The Original Rush on Mar 2, 2008 4:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yea mania, is there a link you have for the AA fight?
by ccwbb on Mar 2, 2008 4:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
too bad that kos and fitch won’t fight because that would make the most sense at the moment. his fight should have been on the prelims and had either kos or AA on the main card. forget this guy
by bushswinger on Mar 2, 2008 4:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Congrats to Jon Fitch on the win, the streak and everything else you accomplished. Unfortunately, I do not feel that Fitch showed anyone that he is ready for GSP. A few more wins against top competitors are needed.
-hes good, but i agree! he needs to fight HUGHES or KARO bfore a title shot! -blah
by blah on Mar 2, 2008 4:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there anyway that i can watch the andrea arlovski fight if so can anyone send me a link to watch the fight??
yeh just found it myself go to dailymotion.com put this in as it is into the search on the top right.
UFC 82 – Andrei Arlovski vs Jake O Brien
Enjoy..
by brend on Mar 2, 2008 4:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I wonder if Fitch has done enough to get a title shot. I think if Karo finishes Alves, he might get the first crack at the winner of St.Pierre Serra. I thought it was interesting that Fitch was almost finished twice by triangle. Wilson had it sunk in deep.
by Jordan on Mar 2, 2008 4:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
For all you Fitch lovers that was probably as boring as the Herring/Congo fight. Everybody says he deserves a title shot before Karo, and as you can see with that fight thats bullshit. He was supposed to walk through that guy and almost got knocked out and sumitted. The guy is a good fighter but just does enough to win. Even when he was on top he didn’t do much. That fight just proved my point even more Karo should be next in line for a title shot if he wins. Shit Diego and even Kos had better showings than Fitch. And as far as Chuck/Silva you guys are going to far, Silva said himself he wouldn’t move up but he would consider moving down. I think he knows he’s never got hit by somebody with the power of the Ice Man. Would be a good fight though.
by JV on Mar 2, 2008 4:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
herring and kongo was probably the sloppiest most uncordinated jiu jitsu i have ever seen in mma.
by alexguy on Mar 2, 2008 4:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
So did anyone else notice the freakishly cut shoulders of Mark Coleman’s eldest daughter when he brought them out on stage? That 4th grader’s more cut than most people at the gym struggling through their New Year’s resolution.
by janimal on Mar 2, 2008 4:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
You can watch the Arlovski fight at UFC on demand. I checked it out, and as MR. NC17 said, its not a very exciting fight. O’brien just kept shooting for the takedown over and over, and for the most part was inneffective. In the first Arlovski did a good job of stuffing the takedown and opened up a small cut on O’Brien’s head. The second was more of the same. Eventually Arlovski got the takedown and went direcly into the full mount, stopping the fight with ground and pound from the dominant position.
I wasn’t Arlovski’s best performance, but he won the fight. I don’t think Jake O’Brien is even capable of being in an exciting fight, so I’m letting Arlovski off the hook for the 2 round snooze-fest. It was good to see him win though. I think it would be a real mistake not to resign the Belarussian to another UFC contract. In all honesty he probably deserves a title shot, but he at least deserves to fight against another exciting striker. His last 3 fights have been against ground fighters, so its no wonder that Andre comes out a little tentative. You put him in there with a guy like Congo or Cro Cop and it would be an awesome fight.
by BadVibes on Mar 2, 2008 5:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
fitch’s wins are not impressive so his winning streak is irrelevant. fitch needs to win the lottery so he’ll stop fighting, damn it he sucks.
by ajadoniz on Mar 2, 2008 5:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
does anyone know what silva said about henderson fight compared to rich franklin fight? he talked about it right after he owned henderson when takling to joe rogan…id appreciate it if anyone cn let me know.
by twizted203 on Mar 2, 2008 5:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
fitch’s wins are not impressive so his winning streak is irrelevant. fitch needs to win the lottery so he’ll stop fighting, damn it he sucks.
thank you. you seem to be the only one who watches mma
by bushswinger on Mar 2, 2008 5:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there anyway that i can watch the andrea arlovski fight if so can anyone send me a link to watch the fight??
www.mmaplayground.com
look under mma videos and just click on it
by Jesse_Canadian_MMA on Mar 2, 2008 5:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
In response to the Dan Henderson bashing about how Dan ‘gave up’ and that there were only a ‘handful of seconds’ left and that Dan Henderson lost some respect.
Please watch the fight again.
First, Silva rocked Henderson with a huge knee to the chin at 2:33. Henderson was dazed, scrambling to grab a leg. He was hurt bad. From that moment on, Anderson was ground and pounding him with elbows, knees, punches.
At 0:42, Silva sinks in the body triangle and squeezes Henderson’s stomach tightly while punching/elbowing Dan in the ear and side of the head.
At 0:18, Silva sinks in the rear naked choke DEEP along with the body triangle. And this choke was DEEP. Dan Henderson didn’t have an arm in or have any control of Silva’s wrists or hands. It was Silva’s forearm and bicep clean on Henderson’s throat.
At 0:10 Dan tapped out. Henderson’s face was red and his eyes were bulging out of their sockets.
So to all these people saying Dan Henderson quit, after all of this, you are expecting Henderson to hold off a DEEP rear naked choke and body triangle to a BJJ black belt for 18 full seconds?!
I’ve been posting on this site and am the biggest Anderson Silva fan. I thought Dan Henderson had no chance against Silva.
But, Dan Henderson is a hell of a fighter. After taking that kind of abuse, there isn’t a fighter in any weight class that could hold off a deep rear naked choke and body lock for 18 seconds.
To say Dan Henderson had only 10 seconds left to hold off that choke and that he’s a wimp for not doing so is absurd.
by TabascoSAUCE on Mar 2, 2008 5:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
The ufc photos they put up on the website for each ufc event maybe has like 10 good pics out of 70. There must be thousands of people taking pictures, they can surely find some better ones to post of their website.
by areyoujellin on Mar 2, 2008 5:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
well i became i fan of chirs wilson…he impressed with his excelent sprawls and nice stand up game. he very game for that fight against fitch. and same with hazelett he impressed me withis fight aginst kos…and kos just gets better every time!
by twizted203 on Mar 2, 2008 5:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I have not felt this dissappointed since ufc 60 when gracie lost to hughes. I hope dan can redeem himself
by dia mette on Mar 2, 2008 5:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’ve long been skeptical of Dana White’s boxing promoter background. But instead of another rant, let me just ask this question: Do tonights undercard matchups seem odd or illogical to anyone else? THE MAIN EVENT is solid; 2 former PRIDE champs going at it… but then… Kongo v Herring??? Not that Herring’s bad, but anyone who’s seen his many PRIDE losses knows that he’s not a true HVweight contender! Now I realize that UFC’s HVweight division is extremely thin right now, but wouldn’t the more logical contender match be Kongo v Arlovski ?!! Instead Arlovski is scheduled in one of the non televised prelims, against some unknown, the guy Herring should be fighting!! THAT’s what I loved about PRIDE; whichever contenders were available fought!! PRIDE did not waste our time w/ tune up matches or patsies to pad records.
ANOTHER CASE IN POINT… Sanchez v Bielkheden(never heard of) & Kosceck v Hazelett( barely heard of)… WTF?? Why not the rubber match: KOS v SANCHEZ?! Why put that one off?! What’s wrong w/ giving the fans what they want; the obvious contender matchups!! UFC has fallen into a pattern of questionable matchups & thin cards recently. Tonights card is no different… the question is WHY; when the fighters are available; they’re on the same card; just not fighting the logical opponent. Insights?
by Brendan on Mar 2, 2008 5:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yea, that was the problem with Fitch taking this fight. Unless it was a dominant win (a finished fight), it wasn’t going to look good for him. I know Mania’s high on Fitch, but his winning streak isn’t THAT impressive. He’s fought one top 10 guy.
by R-Dizzle on Mar 2, 2008 5:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’ve long been skeptical of Dana White’s boxing promoter background. But instead of another rant, let me just ask this question: Do tonights undercard matchups seem odd or illogical to anyone else? THE MAIN EVENT is solid; 2 former PRIDE champs going at it… but then… Kongo v Herring??? Not that Herring’s bad, but anyone who’s seen his many PRIDE losses knows that he’s not a true HVweight contender! Now I realize that UFC’s HVweight division is extremely thin right now, but wouldn’t the more logical contender match be Kongo v Arlovski ?!! Instead Arlovski is scheduled in one of the non televised prelims, against some unknown, the guy Herring should be fighting!! THAT’s what I loved about PRIDE; whichever contenders were available fought!! PRIDE did not waste our time w/ tune up matches or patsies to pad records.
ANOTHER CASE IN POINT… Sanchez v Bielkheden(never heard of) & Kosceck v Hazelett( barely heard of)… WTF?? Why not the rubber match: KOS v SANCHEZ?! Why put that one off?! What’s wrong w/ giving the fans what they want; the obvious contender matchups!! UFC has fallen into a pattern of questionable matchups & thin cards recently. Tonights card is no different… the question is WHY; when the fighters are available; they’re on the same card; just not fighting the logical opponent. Insights?
by GORANDY on Mar 2, 2008 5:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’ve long been skeptical of Dana White’s boxing promoter background. But instead of another rant, let me just ask this question: Do tonights undercard matchups seem odd or illogical to anyone else? THE MAIN EVENT is solid; 2 former PRIDE champs going at it… but then… Kongo v Herring??? Not that Herring’s bad, but anyone who’s seen his many PRIDE losses knows that he’s not a true HVweight contender! Now I realize that UFC’s HVweight division is extremely thin right now, but wouldn’t the more logical contender match be Kongo v Arlovski ?!!
Instead Arlovski is scheduled in one of the non televised prelims, against some unknown, the guy Herring should be fighting!! THAT’s what I loved about PRIDE; whichever contenders were available fought!! PRIDE did not waste our time w/ tune up matches or patsies to pad records.
ANOTHER CASE IN POINT… Sanchez v Bielkheden(never heard of) & Kosceck v Hazelett( barely heard of)… WTF??
Why not the rubber match:
KOS v SANCHEZ?!
Why put that one off?! What’s wrong w/ giving the fans what they want; the obvious contender matchups!! UFC has fallen into a pattern of questionable matchups & thin cards recently. Tonights card is no different… the question is WHY; when the fighters are available; they’re on the same card; just not fighting the logical opponent. Insights?
I can tell you didn’t do business at School.
by Isaac on Mar 2, 2008 5:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yea, that was the problem with Fitch taking this fight. Unless it was a dominant win (a finished fight), it wasn’t going to look good for him. I know Mania’s high on Fitch, but his winning streak isn’t THAT impressive. He’s fought one top 10 guy
You’re right Diego Sanchez is the only top 10 contender that fitch has beat, but lets be real for a second. Thiago alves, Josh Burkman, and Brock Larson are not exactly chumps.
He’s earned all the praise he’s been getting. Any 8 fight win streak in the UFC is impressive. Despite the fact that most casual fans have not heard of Wilson, he’s a dangerous fighter, and Fitch’s win last night while not the most exciting, was certainly against a game opponent. He definitely deserves a crack at the title… at least a shot at Hughes or Parysian.
by BadVibes on Mar 2, 2008 6:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anderson Silva is undisputed! The craziest part about the fight is bitchass hendo didnt have a game plan so he resorted to covering Silva’s airway with his hand over silva’s mouth; real dirty and it still didnt work. Andersons walk into the cage was like I had never seen before he caressed his knuckles, shook his head smiling and look up to the sky in juvenile anticipation as to say “I cant wait!” Wild swinging hendo never had a chance. Anderson was STRONGER, MORE SKILLED, MORE CONFIDENT, and hungry. Cant be stopped! Who’s next this shit is geting boring. IF you dont him again youre lying to yourself!!!!!!!! Silva G.O.A.T.
by Silva Cant Be Stopped!!!!!!!!! on Mar 2, 2008 6:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Mania suggests of Leben: “Perhaps a rematch with Silva is in his future with a few more impressive performances.”
While I agree with this comment it speaks to the weakness of the middleweight division. Perhaps Leben will get a few more impressive knock outs and earn another shot, but he will never be a challenge for Silva. I predict we will see a rematch with Henderson before anyone else in the division comes close to beating Silva.
by boz on Mar 2, 2008 6:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
mr.nc arlovski looked amazing he was going against a fighter who’s one strength is wrestling and he demonstrated his skills against the takedown, his sprawl was beautiful, and the punches from the mount were not weak at all
LOL Andre didn’t look anything like an elite HW in that fight. He hasn’t looked the same since the Tim KO.
by Pat on Mar 2, 2008 6:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there anyway that i can watch the andrea arlovski fight if so can anyone send me a link to watch the fight??
dailymotion.com search terms “AA v. JO”
LOCK IT UP! HAHA, jeah.
by Hendo's Determination on Mar 2, 2008 7:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anderson should jus move up and fight the Iceman
The “Iceman” would get pwned because Anderson Silva is truly at the top of his game right now and although Liddel “iced” Wandy Liddel is not ready to take on Silva. Sorry for being somewhat conclusory, but I’m really tired.
by Hendo's Determination on Mar 2, 2008 7:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
In response to the Dan Henderson bashing about how Dan ‘gave up’ and that there were only a ‘handful of seconds’ left and that Dan Henderson lost some respect.
Please watch the fight again.
First, Silva rocked Henderson with a huge knee to the chin at 2:33. Henderson was dazed, scrambling to grab a leg. He was hurt bad. From that moment on, Anderson was ground and pounding him with elbows, knees, punches.
At 0:42, Silva sinks in the body triangle and squeezes Henderson’s stomach tightly while punching/elbowing Dan in the ear and side of the head.
At 0:18, Silva sinks in the rear naked choke DEEP along with the body triangle. And this choke was DEEP. Dan Henderson didn’t have an arm in or have any control of Silva’s wrists or hands. It was Silva’s forearm and bicep clean on Henderson’s throat.
At 0:10 Dan tapped out. Henderson’s face was red and his eyes were bulging out of their sockets.
So to all these people saying Dan Henderson quit, after all of this, you are expecting Henderson to hold off a DEEP rear naked choke and body triangle to a BJJ black belt for 18 full seconds?!
I’ve been posting on this site and am the biggest Anderson Silva fan. I thought Dan Henderson had no chance against Silva.
But, Dan Henderson is a hell of a fighter. After taking that kind of abuse, there isn’t a fighter in any weight class that could hold off a deep rear naked choke and body lock for 18 seconds.
To say Dan Henderson had only 10 seconds left to hold off that choke and that he’s a wimp for not doing so is absurd.
YUP. I totally agree with ya mang..Good write up.
by DO What's Right on Mar 2, 2008 7:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I am sure there are guys in asia that could do silva up. At least get new faces… for the mw division.
by Yikes on Mar 2, 2008 7:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
To say Dan Henderson had only 10 seconds left to hold off that choke and that he’s a wimp for not doing so is absurd.
That’s NOT what I was referring to just to be clear.
by MMAmania on Mar 2, 2008 8:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anderson Silva is undisputed! The craziest part about the fight is bitchass hendo didnt have a game plan so he resorted to covering Silva’s airway with his hand over silva’s mouth; real dirty and it still didnt work. Andersons walk into the cage was like I had never seen before he caressed his knuckles, shook his head smiling and look up to the sky in juvenile anticipation as to say “I cant wait!” Wild swinging hendo never had a chance. Anderson was STRONGER, MORE SKILLED, MORE CONFIDENT, and hungry. Cant be stopped! Who’s next this shit is geting boring. IF you dont him again youre lying to yourself!!!!!!!! Silva G.O.A.T.
wild swinging HENDO never had a chance???
-you must have missed the 1st round! and that dirty move u mention covering silvas mouth is somethin fighters use as a strategy to disrupt the opponents breathing!-
Whos next this shit is getting boring?
—Dont get ahead of yourself on this one either, 6 straight wins are great, but theres been many fighters that have been on that kind of winning streak before and eventually lost! wanderlei was champ for many years bfore he lost also.
The spider is gonna have to step up to the challenge and go up or down weightclass dont you think??? until he does that and wins a few more i think is when youll hear it out of his own mouth as the best pound for pound fighter in the world!
I will agree with you on the fact that he looked stronger than hendo! he made hendo look small…he def needs to move up in weight not down! lookin forward to his next fight w OKAMI—
by blah on Mar 2, 2008 8:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Is there anyway that i can watch the andrea arlovski fight if so can anyone send me a link to watch the fight??
just got to video.ufc.com I wouldn’t waste your $2 though it wasnt that great
by GSP4Prez on Mar 2, 2008 8:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yeh just found it myself go to dailymotion.com put this in as it is into the search on the top right.
UFC 82 – Andrei Arlovski vs Jake O BrienEnjoy..
Thanks bro! after paying $45 for the ppv i didnt want to pay $2to see a fight that should of been on the main card!!!
by a pitbull on Mar 2, 2008 8:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Mania – My response wasn’t targeted at you. In the results/comments blog for UFC 82, there has been a lot of bashing on Dan. My guess it was from fans that didn’t see the fight and only saw the box score that Hendo tapped with 8 seconds left in round 2.
I just wanted to make clear to bloggers that Dan didn’t have just 8 seconds left to go before he tapped. He held off a DEEP rear naked choke for 8-10 seconds before he tapped out. And this was AFTER getting rocked by a knee, getting ground and pounded, and getting his back taken with a body triangle.
I too wanted to Henderson to continue into the later rounds. Who didn’t? But if Henderson wasn’t to tap and Silva held the choke for 20 seconds, Herb Dean would have stopped the fight via Dan Henderson passing out.
by TabascoSAUCE on Mar 2, 2008 8:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
another bullshit ufc stoppage in the leben/sakara fight… i think they should have yves lavigne referee every bout, that guy knows when to stop a fight (see Marcus Davis/Paul Taylor) Sakara was obviously fine, he got right up after it was stopped and didnt look dazed at all… glad i didnt bet on this fight, that would have been highway robbery by herb dean
by brendan on Mar 2, 2008 8:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yeah I just got it at video.ufc.com as well it wasn’t the greatest thing I have ever seen but andrei does pound him out at the end. If you watch his post fight interview he says he let up a bit when he mounted him and was GNP obrein because he knew obrein just had serious surgery which was kinda noble in a way. He looks over at the ref to stop it before he seriously hurt him. I love watching huge knockouts and guys getting split open just as much as then next guy (maybe more) but as much as I hate certain fighters I don’t want to see them made into paralegics. Hats off to the pitbull! Lets hope he resigns and regains his standup confidence.
by creeks on Mar 2, 2008 8:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
First of all Hendo was COMPLETELY UNFAIR by blocking Silva’s breathing. That is not a true champion/fighter. That’s CHEATING man!!! He got his a** whooped. He definately deserved more beating. I wish it went to the 3rd round and 4th and 5th. Silva would have hospitalized him for sure the end of round 5 with those knees and kicks. Henderson was already looking tired after the 1st round. I still can’t believe he did that. Are you allowed to cover someones mouth to stop them from breathing. That is torture.
by MMAFAN on Mar 2, 2008 10:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Arlovski sucks, i just watched that fight very weak finish, i hope hes done in the ufc
by jsoph on Mar 2, 2008 10:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
First of all Hendo was COMPLETELY UNFAIR by blocking Silva’s breathing. That is not a true champion/fighter. That’s CHEATING man!!! He got his a** whooped. He definately deserved more beating. I wish it went to the 3rd round and 4th and 5th. Silva would have hospitalized him for sure the end of round 5 with those knees and kicks. Henderson was already looking tired after the 1st round. I still can’t believe he did that. Are you allowed to cover someones mouth to stop them from breathing. That is torture.
Its not cheating because its not illegal. I do not support “hand over mouth” technique, but just because I do not agree with it does not mean I have the right to slander a fighter. That technique was implements quite often in Pride.
Calling Henderson a cheater is not only an unfair assessment, but an out right lie. And by the way something is not unfair if both people can use the same technique.
by UFC Refs Quick Stoppage on Mar 2, 2008 10:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
TraF
Mar 2nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm Quote this comment
Anderson should jus move up and fight the Iceman
Iceman is out of his league
by chuck on Mar 2, 2008 10:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Congrats to Jon Fitch on the win, the streak and everything else you accomplished. Unfortunately, I do not feel that Fitch showed anyone that he is ready for GSP. A few more wins against top competitors are needed.
I Fully Agree!!!!!!!!!!
by Bruce on Mar 2, 2008 11:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anyone know were i can get AA vs O’brien fight video……………i bought the PPV on the computer!!!!To try it out,Not bad….i was in pressed!!!
“But whats the deal!!!!!!!!!! I Pay for it on computer and you “DONT” get ALL the fights…..this is some serious BULLLLLLLLLL!!!!
by Bruce on Mar 2, 2008 11:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Here’s the Arlovski fight:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4kpsr_ufc-82-andrei-arlovski-vs-jake-o-br_sport
by Andy on Mar 2, 2008 11:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
covering the mouth is legal in the ufc, thats what u have a nose for
by brendan on Mar 3, 2008 12:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Here’s the Arlovski fight:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4kpsr_ufc-82-andrei-arlovski-vs-jake-o-br_sport
Thanks alot :)
by Bruce on Mar 3, 2008 12:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The “Iceman” would get pwned because Anderson Silva is truly at the top of his game right now and although Liddel “iced” Wandy Liddel is not ready to take on Silva. Sorry for being somewhat conclusory, but I’m really tired.
Come back to reality guy, Silva himself said he would not move up, he would consider moving down. If he fought someone like Liddell he’d get KO’d. Ofcourse it would be a good fight though. Its just like people saying St. Pierre should move up and fight Silva he would get crushed. Again it would be a good fight. Silva is perfect for 185 don’t think he can beat Elite 205ers.
by JV on Mar 3, 2008 12:58 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Fitch did a good job last night at keeping wilson down and out the 2nd and third round. He (wilson) seem like a descent fighter and alot of these so called underdogs coming into the UFC are pulling off big wins and good showings example Houston Alexander and Tim Boesch or however you spell it. Fitch was playing a stratigical game with Wilson and thats what mma is all about sometimes. Yeah he hasent fought to many top ten fighters but hes fought some pretty tough guys and going 8-0 in the octatgon is impressive, let alone his 14 fight win streak and hasent lost since 2002. Its funny people say he needs to fight top ten fighters but some of those top ten fighters in the welterweight class dont even want thatto fight him aka Mr Parisian. Karo is a good fighter but going out and saying he wants a easier fight then Fitch to get to the title thats B.S. You fight the best to be the best.Not holding out hoping to get a title shot. So Fitch deserves a title shot in my mind. Wouldnt mind though seeing him fightlike Hughes or Karo before hand those would both be awesome fights as well. So good showing by Wilson and Fitch. Hope to see Wilson again, and Fitch to get a step closer to that Title shot
by JGBrutal on Mar 3, 2008 3:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
First of all Hendo was COMPLETELY UNFAIR by blocking Silva’s breathing. That is not a true champion/fighter. That’s CHEATING man!!! He got his a** whooped. He definately deserved more beating. I wish it went to the 3rd round and 4th and 5th. Silva would have hospitalized him for sure the end of round 5 with those knees and kicks. Henderson was already looking tired after the 1st round. I still can’t believe he did that. Are you allowed to cover someones mouth to stop them from breathing. That is torture.
Yes, you are allowed to cover someone’s mouth (and nose if need to), it’s a strategy to try to make the person let go of the locked hands. If hendo was successful in doing this and silva were to let go of his locked hands behind hendo’s shoulder, hendo would have been able to posture up and do some really good ground and pound. But silva is not a rookie, and this never happened, he is that good.
by linx on Mar 3, 2008 5:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I Fully Agree!!!!!!!!!!
So he is tied for a record consecutive wins at 8… maybe 10 in a row or 15, then would he meet your standards for a title shot?
We’ll see how Karo’s Judo throws work on Alves (One of Fitch’s “no named” 8 wins)
by Arnold on Mar 3, 2008 7:15 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
For all you Fitch lovers that was probably as boring as the Herring/Congo fight. Everybody says he deserves a title shot before Karo, and as you can see with that fight thats bullshit. He was supposed to walk through that guy and almost got knocked out and sumitted. The guy is a good fighter but just does enough to win. Even when he was on top he didn’t do much. That fight just proved my point even more Karo should be next in line for a title shot if he wins. Shit Diego and even Kos had better showings than Fitch. And as far as Chuck/Silva you guys are going to far, Silva said himself he wouldn’t move up but he would consider moving down. I think he knows he’s never got hit by somebody with the power of the Ice Man. Would be a good fight though.
Anderson did get hit by Dan Henderson a few times, who knocked out Wanderlei. Chuck landed punch after punch on Wandi on the button most of the time, and still wasn’t able to knock him out. I think Silva would have a better chance than you think against Chuck.
by Ade on Mar 3, 2008 8:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Silva vs Chuck? I think I would rather see GSP move up to 185, or Silva down to 170. I think those two have the best claim to P4P best fighter. That fight would be an absolute clinic, both standing up, in the clinch and on the ground.
by efisher on Mar 3, 2008 9:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Dan Henderson was controlling the fight up until he made one STUPID, STUPID mistake that had me screaming at the TV. Dan Henderson clearly won round 1. Then round 2 came and Hendo had Silva up against the cage in his greco roman clinch and was beginning to do a little bit of dirty boxing, but not as much as I would have liked to see. And then for some unexplainable reason, Dan tried to throw a muay thai knee from the clinch, and he swings and misses, and Silva get his distance, and shortly after is when he rocked Hendo and ended up finishing the fight. Up until Hendo threw that STUPID knee, he was conrolling Anderson Silva. But from the point that knee was thrown, it was all downhill for Hendo…
At one point, Hendo hit Silva with a hook and then threw a vicious overhand right that just missed. If that fight landed, Silva would have went to sleep, oh well. Speaking of throwing bombs, how about Josh Koscheck’s wild over hand rights?
I got so excited when McLovin had Kos hurt and followed up with the knee, I thought I was winning hundreds….. Oh well again.
Herring layed on top of Kongo for the majority of two rounds as expected.
And I hope everyone picked Leben like I was saying, Sakara had nothing for The Crippler. Sakara landed at least 10 clean crisp shots and Leben’s head didn’t even move. I had bet on Leben, but I wish I ‘bet the house’ on him, becaue there was no way I saw him losing that fight.
Congrats to Jon Fitch on the win, the streak and everything else you accomplished. Unfortunately, I do not feel that Fitch showed anyone that he is ready for GSP. A few more wins against top competitors are needed.
Chris Wilson had Jon Fitch stunned in that first round! Wilson came out ready to fight. Rounds 2 and 3 were Fitch’s though. This was not a spectacular performance for Jon Fitch. Being a -600 favorite to win against a relatively unkown fighter and not being able to finish them, does not get you a title shot, on its own. But given Fitch’s past performance, with a Thiago Alvez win over Karo, we will see Fitch fighting the winner of Serra/GSP.
by ViolentMike on Mar 3, 2008 10:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Its not cheating because its not illegal. I do not support “hand over mouth” technique, but just because I do not agree with it does not mean I have the right to slander a fighter. That technique was implements quite often in Pride.
Calling Henderson a cheater is not only an unfair assessment, but an out right lie. And by the way something is not unfair if both people can use the same technique.
It is a 100% completely legal move. You are allowed to squeeze someone’s neck until you choke them unconscious, but you can’t put your hand over their mouth and nose? Of course it is legal. Although, in my opinion, it is not a very effective move except for the later rounds when the opponent is very, very tired.
by ViolentMike on Mar 3, 2008 10:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m never betting against Anderson Silva ever again. EVERRRRRR!!!
by kama kaze on Mar 3, 2008 10:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
another bullshit ufc stoppage in the leben/sakara fight… i think they should have yves lavigne referee every bout, that guy knows when to stop a fight (see Marcus Davis/Paul Taylor) Sakara was obviously fine, he got right up after it was stopped and didnt look dazed at all… glad i didnt bet on this fight, that would have been highway robbery by herb dean
i can see why the ref did it. in the replay i counted and he took 5 undefended punches to the face. He clearly wasn’t defending himself at that point. instead of complaining about the early stoppage he should have made an attempt at defending.
by Kitsunex on Mar 3, 2008 12:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anyone else think that Herring lost that fight last night?
I thought Congo owned him to be honest
by (Republic not Northern) Irish UFC fan on Mar 3, 2008 1:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Fitch didn’t dominate like a lot of people thought he would, but Chris Wilson will be a legit threat to most of the WWs. He’s similar in body type to Roan Carneiro…..really long with great leverage.
I know these guys aren’t house hold names, but their size and length create unique problems at that weight. Remember that no one knew who GSP was at one point. Time will tell how good some of these guys are.
by TonyDrip on Mar 3, 2008 2:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anyone else think that Herring lost that fight last night?
I thought Congo owned him to be honest
Ummm NO! Kongo ran away from him after every exchange and when it was on the ground he let Herring pound his ribs to dust with those nasty knees.
by Kitsunex on Mar 3, 2008 2:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Anyone else think that Herring lost that fight last night?
I thought Congo owned him to be honest
You could make a case for 29-28 either way, hence the split decision. I had it 29-28 Herring. Remember, this is 10 point must scoring…even by Pride rules – most damage overall, I have Herring winning by a knee.
Question is “Where was the sub attempts from Herring?” He should have taken an arm home with him. Congo won’t get away with laying around taking knees against the likes of AA, Verdum, Nog, etc. Rogan kept saying how much Congo had improved on the ground, but I think that was just a lack of execution on Herring’s part.
by SaVaGe on Mar 3, 2008 2:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I was surprised that Hendo didn’t suffocate Silva in the first round. I’ve never seen anyone try to disrupt their opponent’s breathing to that extent. I’m thinking there should be some limitations to that practice.
by DaneJa260 on Mar 3, 2008 3:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
First of all Hendo was COMPLETELY UNFAIR by blocking Silva’s breathing. That is not a true champion/fighter. That’s CHEATING man!!! He got his a** whooped. He definately deserved more beating. I wish it went to the 3rd round and 4th and 5th. Silva would have hospitalized him for sure the end of round 5 with those knees and kicks. Henderson was already looking tired after the 1st round. I still can’t believe he did that. Are you allowed to cover someones mouth to stop them from breathing. That is torture.
-you are an idiot! First of all, its a fight!!! second, If you have to ask if thats cheating, then why are you calling hendo a cheater before knowing the answer?? third, its not any different then the triangle hold silva had on hendo, not to mention the way he beat him(rear naked choke) , which i might add is another form of cutting someones breathing! and fourth, did i mention ur an idiot!! how do you have the comment “he should have hospitalized him for sure” and “that is torture” in the same paragraph?? kinda of contradicts your point dont ya think??
by blah on Mar 3, 2008 3:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Good job diego sanchez, anderson, koschek, leben
Okami deserves next title shot
jon fitch dissapoints again, as does Kongo, and arlovski neither of thse fighters were fun to watch
by Ramon on Mar 3, 2008 6:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
i don’t know what fight that guy was watching but the fitch fight was the crapiest fight on the ppv they should have had the arlovski fight on there instand. FITCH is WAY THE HELL OVER-RATED. top welterwieght contender you got to be joking yes he could win it if the champ takes them as a joke. but so could alot of other fighters too. karo should be the top contender NOT FITCH! ficth sucks they better not waste space on a nother ppv with him again. that fight against wilson sucked. wilson i thought should’ve one he rocked him in the 1st and ended the fight with fitch in a trinagle. how the hell did fitch win the 3rd round? takedowns give a fighter to much points. because you can take a fighter down without doing any damnage. and that was the whole 2nd round i thought. i thought herring won did they switch the judges or something or did fitch pay them off. other then that fight i loved the ppv i was just mad i had to pay $2 to see arlovski GnP out a tko over that other takedown laydown fighter. hughes vs serra and GSP vs fitch. those would be 2 quick fights. a bad idea if the ufc is even thinking about a fitch vs the champ. IF serra wins again over GSP. fitch might stand a chance but if its fitch against GSP it will not get past the 2nd. i think its over in the 1st. TITLE SHOT 4 KARO. now he i feel would last longer against GSP.
by jimbo on Mar 3, 2008 9:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
When are we going to see the rematch?
Or, if not a rematch, who will step up and fight Silva?
Big up to Hendo, I wish he would have landed that elbow that he threw from Silva’s closed guard in round 1. Sigh.
i think it should be yushin okami. but i don’t like to say it. but you thought henderson was going to win. anderson asked for the fight man. when a fighter does that you should know he is going to win come on.
by jimbo on Mar 3, 2008 9:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Leben will get a rematch all right, but I predict it will be as the CHAMPION.
Look for the “spider” Silva to be upset this year, with Leben then getting a crack (& win) at the championship.
A rematch with Silva would then be a natural.
Leben will need to fight completely different to win.
Silva likes to counter, Leben will need to be patient and make silve come forward.
by Talkman on Apr 11, 2008 6:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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