UFC 82: Pride of a Champion Predictions
by Robert Sargent & Daniel Regan
UFC 82 features two incredible middleweight fights, as former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner will battle Yushin Okami and current champion Anderson Silva will final PRIDE Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson.
The event also features a heavyweight battle between Heath Herring and Cheick Kongo, as well as a solid undercard.
Daniel: We begin with "Dangerous" Dan Henderson vs Anderson "The Spider" Silva. The UFC finally got this fight going. This is definitely a dream fight and will decide the #1 P4P, in my opinion.
Rob: Yeah. Though I totally understand Henderson wanting to stay at 205 and fight some of the top guys there, he really is much more suited to 185. People seem to be discounting him in this fight, but I think many will be surprised.
Daniel: Everyone's on the Silva bandwagon and, I have to admit, it's appealing. He looked AMAZING against Franklin, and convinced even the most doubting critics. However, Henderson is an opponent of the likes he's never faced. Thunderous right hand, insane clinch work, granite chin. He's tailor-made for this fight.
Rob: This isn't going to be like Silva vs Franklin. There's a small chance that Silva can somehow hit Henderson enough times to knock him out, but it's highly unlikely. I don't think Henderson will submit Silva, but he could knock him out. I don't see Silva knocking Henderson out, but he could submit him. In the end, I see it going the distance, with Henderson being crowned the new champion. Prediction: Henderson by Decision.
Daniel: Henderson has never been submitted by anyone not named Noguiera. However, Silva also spends every day with the Nogueiras. Honestly, even with Silva's hard chin, I see a KO late in the 3rd round for Henderson, as Silva starts to slow down. Prediction: Henderson by KO.
Rob: The next fight on the card is "The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo. I see this being the end of the road to riches for Kongo.
Daniel: Heath looked great against Imes, and I think he might be showing a glimpse of his old self. While highly dangerous on his feet, Cheick more closely resembles King Kong(o) Bundy once he hits his back. I see Herring taking him down and getting a TKO late in the 1st. Prediction: Herring by TKO.
Rob: I'm actually going to go a slightly different route, and say that Herring lands a big shot on the feet and drops Kongo. It may be a bold prediction, but the end result is the same. Whether he takes Kongo down and punches him into oblivion, or lands a big kick or punch on the feet, Kongo is going down like a tree in the forest. Prediction: Herring by KO.
Daniel: Before Dr. Seuss gets too overboard here, let's save the lines for Yushin "Thunder" Okami vs Evan Tanner, which is looking to be a great match! The real question after this fight, though, is will Okami's nickname change again? Supposedly, he's gone from Phoenix to Thunder now. I think that, by the time this fight is over, "Contender" will be more appropriate.
Rob: We'll put you in charge of fighter nicknames from now on. That's better than a lot of them out there. As for the fight, this is supposed to be Tanner's big return to the UFC, but he's being fed to a hungry wolf....er, phoenix. Okami needs a title shot as soon as possible, and beating the former UFC Middleweight Champion will put him firmly in line. An Okami vs Henderson fight, or Okami vs Silva II, would be a great one.
Daniel: I say Okami by third-round Ground and Pound, after looking bored in the first two rounds. Prediction: Okami by TKO.
Rob: I think Tanner will win the first (slow) round, but Okami will come on strong in round two and score a takedown, then finish it with punches and elbows. If it goes to a third round, Tanner's face will be a mess by then. Prediction: Okami by TKO.
Daniel: I do think, with his new-found nickname, Okami should come out to "Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks. It will help the American people adapt to him, while simultaneously ruining his chances with any woman in the United States.
Rob: Okay, the next fight is between Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara and Chris "The Crippler" Leben. I really do not even want to pick a winner in this fight, as both fighters horribly underperform on a regular basis. Sakara was destroyed by Houston Alexander, of all people, then defeated James Lee after Lee suffered an injury. Leben was annihilated by Anderson Silva, then lost to Kalib Starnes and pulled off a fluke KO against Terry Martin, in a fight he was losing. I'll pick Sakara by KO, though the fight is very meaningless and I'm not the least bit confident with that pick. Prediction: Sakara by KO.
Daniel: I'm taking Leben in this fight, mainly because of his hard chin and Sakara's lack of...anything. In what was perhaps one of the worst fights of the year, Martin and Leben at least showed that sometimes brute force wins over strategy (or brains), and that might be the result here. Prediction: Leben by KO.
Rob: The last fight is Jon Fitch, one of the best welterweights in the world and who should be the #1 contender, taking on Chris "The Professor" Wilson, who is making his UFC debut. This fight could not be any less logical.
Daniel: Talk about ridiculous. The UFC has a huge tendency to do things like this. They're unsure of what to do with contenders who have a long wait until their title fight, so they throw them in random obscure matches. They did the same thing with Marquardt before fighting Silva. Fitch is a main-carder, but this fight is undercard material. Kind of ridiculous to have such a stacked undercard, fighters-wise, but have no good fights. Thankfully, nothing can ruin Henderson vs Silva for me. Fitch by whatever he deems necessary. Perhaps he'd be fighting someone better if Parisyan knew who he was. Prediction: Fitch by Anything.
Rob: Yeah, Karo needs to keep his mouth shut, because Chonan made him look terrible in their fight. Now, with all due respect to Chris Wilson, whom I am sure is a good fighter, Jon Fitch has dominated some of the best welterweights in the UFC, and this will be no different. I'll take Fitch by whatever method of victory he wants. Prediction: Fitch by Anything.
Undercard Fights:
Rob: "Irish" Jake O'Brien vs Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski. I have no faith in either of these fighters, but O'Brien could hold the much larger Heath Herring down, so Arlovski is in for some time on his back. I'll take O'Brien by Lay and Pray.Daniel: Arlovski by KO, in a round that doesn't matter.
Rob: Luigi Fioravanti vs "The Silent Assassin" Luke Cummo. I'll take Fioravanti by KO, but this is nothing but filler.
Daniel: I'm going with Luigi here. I have yet to see him fight, but I've never been impressed with Cummo. Plus, with Mario in his corner, he can't lose.
Rob: Dustin Hazelett vs Josh Koscheck. As much as I dislike watching Koscheck fight, or twitch his nose 800 times per match, I'll pick him by Submission.
Daniel: When I look at Josh, I really think he should've been named Dustin. It just seems more like him. Koscheck will do something explosive and take Hazelett down, then suddenly forget to fight until the ref stands them up. They'll repeat this horrible dramatization, like some terrible shampoo commercial. Koscheck by Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
Rob: Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez vs David Bielkheden. It is incredibly sad how far Sanchez has fallen in just two fights. He goes from fighting Jon Fitch to a total unknown. Again, it pains me to pick him, but I'll take Sanchez by TKO.
Daniel: Apparently, Diego is deciding to stay at 170. Actually, Bielkheden is a good fighter and might have a good future in the UFC, but expect the "Dirty Sanchez" to make a mess of his dreams.
Rob: Final fight is John "The Hurricane" Halverson against Jorge Gurgel. Halverson is the guy who was TKOed in 19 seconds by Roger Huerta, and tried to lie and claim Huerta kneed him in the head on the ground. Gurgel is the guy who has never lived up to the ridiculous amount of hype and potential he has. If Gurgel FINALLY sticks to what he does best, and takes the fight to the ground, he will win easily. If he doesn't, I hope to not have to see him fight (and fail) any more times. I'll take Gurgel by Submission.
Daniel: Halverson is looking to make a comeback, but there's no way to whine his way out of this fight. Gurgel is going to take this one. I'm out of witty comments.
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