The Ohio Athletic Commission only conducted tests for steroids and drugs of abuse on winning fighters from the event.

Tested fighters were Anderson Silva, Heath Herring, Chris Leben, Yushin Okami, Jon Fitch, Andrei Arlovski, Luigi Fioravanti, Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez, and Jorge Gurgel.

• Evan Tanner — Suspended 60 days
• Alessio Sakara — Suspended 30 days
• Jake O’Brien — Suspended 30 days
• Dustin Hazelett — Suspended 30 days

For more on UFC 82 CLICK HERE.

Silva was awarded a $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus for his second-round rear naked choke submission of Henderson as well as a $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus. Henderson also took home $60,000 for his participation in the “Fight of the Night”. Leben received a $60,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus for his first-round TKO of Alessio Sakara.

As you might know from my pre-fight predictions, I picked Henderson to win a long, tough decision. If not a decision victory, I could see Henderson losing the hard fought decision to Silva a la his Quinton Jackson fight, and that would have been okay. If Henderson were to have been knocked out in similar fashion to Rich Franklin, I would have been alright with that too. After all, there is no shame in getting beaten in the stand up by someone who has a superior stand up game. But on the ground, via submission, in the second round?!?! That I am just not okay with. Last night Dan Henderson managed to do something I never thought possible, he got beaten at his own game.

Sure Anderson Silva dropped some nice shots on Dan from the ground position, but I expected Henderson to grab Silva, keep him close, and work his world class wrestling. Not give up his back and get choked out. I mean, if anyone out there can defend a choke its Dan Henderson, so what in the world happened? In the first round the fight went as well as I could anticipate, Hendo employed the body lock and took Silva down for as long as he could. If that were to happen all night things would have been just fine, but of course that wasn’t the case. Though to his credit, Henderson did last a full two minutes longer with Silva than the previous record holder, Travis Lutter.

The worst part about all of this is that I am itching for answers I will probably never receive. Henderson gave no explanation for his performance in the post fight chat with Joe Rogan, and simply said that Silva was the better fighter tonight. Really? He was? Well that’s just great, is there anything else you can tell us Dan? What’s that? You also didn’t execute your game plan well and should have been more aggressive? Wonderful, though you said the exact same thing after the Quinton Jackson loss, so I’m starting to wonder if you simply fear change as opposed to losing.

All in all, I take nothing away from Dan Henderson because despite this performance, his record and accomplishments still speak for themselves. It’s just so difficult for me to digest the fact that Anderson Silva really is that good, to the point where Dan Henderson isn’t even a challenge for him. It might put me to ease if in the immediate future Henderson came out and said something to the tune of ‘Well I really couldn’t train hard for this fight because I had a horrible staph infection, I broke my hand,and I couldn’t see out of my right eye during the match’. But as many know, Henderson is a class act, has never made excuses before, and even if there was something wrong, probably wouldn’t mention it as a cop-out.

Now What?

Now that I have vented my thoughts and frustration regarding Henderson, its time to figure out what will be next for Dangerous Dan as well as Anderson Silva. For Hendo, I’d recommend going back up to 205 lbs and competing there as long as the UFC will allow it. Dan may be a tad small for a light-heavyweight, but the fact is he has performed better in the past at LHW than at middleweight, and I don’t think that will change. Perhaps Silva-Henderson II would have been in the cards, but since Silva picked Hendo apart so quickly and easily, I doubt the UFC will make it happen any time soon. If the fight were to have gone at least three or four rounds an immediate rematch would have been a bankable possibility, but for now its just wishful thinking.

I cannot stress enough how much I do not want to have to see Dan Henderson grind things out in the UFC middleweight division. I hope that Dana and those in charge understand that the man simply performs better at light-heavyweight and deserves to be there. Also, for Dana White and Joe Rogan to repeatedly say that Henderson is a more natural and therefore better middleweight is absolutely absurd. The UFC is clearly pushing that statement because the middleweight division is so bare and the LHW is so stacked. I don’t care how much Hendo will help the barren middleweight division, he’s a better fighter at LHW, and should be permitted to hang there if that is indeed his prerogative.

As for one Anderson Silva, the UFC simply has nothing left for ya pal, so you can chill out on the Brazilian coast for a while. Seriously though, what can the UFC do for Anderson Silva? Put him in a rematch against Yushin Okami? That seems to be the only feasible option at this time. While cruising the blogs a few days ago, I came across a quick bloodyelbow post which quoted Silva saying that if he beats Henderson, he might go and challenge the current boxing champion in his weight class. I believe Silva already has a pro boxing record of 1-0, so this might not be such a crazy move. However it doesn’t do a heck of a lot for his MMA career. In the past, Silva has stated that he would never face WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho, because he and Filho are training partners and such good friends. If I were the UFC, I would scour the earth and other promotions for fighters that may help shake things up in the middleweight division. Or maybe convince Silva to take on his buddy Filho in a WEC vs. UFC match up. Silva says it wouldn’t happen, but every man has his price.

Quick Thoughts On Other Fights:

Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo

I was right about this prediction and couldn’t be happier for Heath Herring. Kongo took everything he had to Heath but came up short in the end because for some crazy reason, he thought staying on the ground with The Texas Crazy Horse was a decent idea. While Heath said that he didn’t train grappling hardly at all for this fight, he still performed phenomenally well on the ground, neutralized Kongo’s attack, and earned a tough decision. Cheick Kongo, as usual, looked very strong in the stand up and is getting slightly better on the ground, but if he doesn’t already, the man needs a dedicated BJJ and wrestling coach in his gym. I think given his size, strength and striking ability, Kongo will be a huge heavyweight threat once his ground game blossoms a little more.

Chris Leben vs. Alessio Sakara

Another fight I managed to pick correctly. Alessio Sakara does seem a little more fluid at middleweight, but I don’t think he ever really stood a chance against someone as crazy as Chris Leben. Throughout the fight you could see that Leben wanted to throw the knockout punch every time, while the more technically sound Sakara threw straight, uniform punches that did little to Leben’s iron jaw. Also, I still believe that Chris Leben could move down to welterweight if he wanted to. Though his performance was solid, Leben again looked a bit soft at 185 and I wonder if he has ever considered dropping to welterweight.

Evan Tanner vs. Yushin Okami

Oh Evan Tanner, you come all the way back from a two year hiatus and they throw you to the wolves. It’s not fair really, but I must give Yushin Okami huge respect, instead of laying and praying he employed a nasty Thai clinch that would make Spider Silva proud.

I can only imagine what would have happened if Tanner never got stuck in that clinch, but odds are he would have gotten caught with a flurry at some point and that would have been the end of it. Either way, Tanner wasn’t ready for Okami and I suggest he take a long, intense training camp to iron out the wrinkles in his game. I truly believe that Evan Tanner has the potential to come back and be a force in the UFC again, but not without some serious polishing.

Jon Fitch vs. Chris Wilson

Wow, by far the second-most surprising fight of the night for me. I expected Fitch to take Wilson down with ease then apply a choke at some point. Low and behold, Wilson frustrates Fitch with excellent sprawls, and the fight ends with Fitch stuck in an almost secured triangle choke. This fight does little for Fitch as he was expected to mop the floor with the late replacement, but does a great deal for UFC newcomer Chris Wilson. I say if Wilson isn’t under contract yet, have the lawyers write something up for maybe three fights over the next ten months. If the guy can hang with Fitch that well, he can easily be thrown into the mix with some of the better UFC welterweight talent.

Josh Koscheck vs. Dustin Hazelett

This fight also does little for the anticipated winner, Josh Koscheck. I can say it pleases me to see Koscheck finish a fight, but Dustin Hazelett wasn’t really ready to face Josh Koscheck at this point in his career. Sorry Dustin, even though Koscheck is kind of lame, you have to remember he is actually a pretty good fighter.

Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake O’Brien

Man was it painful not being able watch Andrei Arlovski fight for the first time in almost a year. So what did I do? I just caught the live results recap and apparently, Arlovski punished O’Brien with strikes in the second round, earning himself a TKO victory which many expected. Hopefully Arlovski will be able to work out a deal with the UFC so the next time he takes the octagon, we’ll be able to see it. Hopefully.

Diego Sanchez vs. David Bielkheden

Good job Diego, you beat the hell out of someone who had no business being in the cage with you. I’d say this fight proves that given a terrible opponent, Diego Sanchez can work wonders. Why don’t we put Sanchez against a half decent opponent next time and see what happens?

Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Coleman?

By now most everyone has heard about Mark Coleman claiming that he will be Brock Lesnar’s opponent at UFC 87 in August. Coleman made this announcement after being inducted into the UFC Hall Of Fame at last nights pay-per-view in Columbus. Under normal circumstances, I’d say Mark Coleman is just too old and under skilled to come back into the octagon at the ripe age of 43. But against the under experienced meat head that is Brock Lesnar, this bout should prove to be the UFC’s version of Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott. With Brock playing the role of Kimbo and Coleman being a more athletic version of Tank, we will see if Brock Lesnar can defeat an over-the-hill veteran who probably just wants the fight purse.

1. Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva for the unified middleweight title.
Prediction: Henderson via unanimous decision
This fight was tailor-made for Dan Henderson, even if Anderson Silva’s jiujitsu is top notch, Dan still has an enormous advantage on the ground. The question is, will Henderson be able to put the feared Brazilian striker on his back? And will he do it early enough to make it count? The answer is yes and yes. The only problem I foresee for Dan Henderson would be if his pride (no pun intended) were to get the better of him, and he became engaged in a standing war with Anderson Silva. Henderson has never been knocked out and he might feel like where Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt and Chris Leben have failed, he may succeed with a nice left hook.

But the truth is Henderson should stick to what he does best: takedowns and ground n’ pound. As long as Henderson doesn’t feel the need to prove his chin against Silva’s fists, the fight should be his. Some believe that Hendo will get suckered into Silva’s clinch where he will absorb heavy damage a la Rich Franklin. But I think Henderson will simply shake off the clinch or turn it into a takedown, earning big points on the scorecards all night.

Now, five rounds is a long time to do battle, even for cardio freaks like Henderson and Silva. But I am still going to have to go with Henderson via unanimous decision on this one. Why? Because Henderson might be able to keep Silva down and drop serious bombs, but given Silva’s long legs and ability to defend on the bottom, I don’t think that Dan will be able to finish him off. I do however believe that Henderson will earn more than enough points for dominating on the ground, and so he comes away with the decision.

2. Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo
Prediction: Heath Herring via split decision
Yet another striker vs. grappler match-up. Cheick Kongo is no doubt stronger and better standing up, but his ground game appears to be sub-par at best. Heath Herring on the other hand is I’d say at least an average striker, who seeks comfort in the all mighty take down. What does this mean? Herring will probably take one or two of Kongo’s brutal strikes, then shoot on him all night. From there, Herring could be out muscled by the physical specimen that is Cheick Kongo, but even if Kongo is able to get back to his feet Herring will still have enough control of the fight to pull out the decision. And so, I take Heath Herring via split decision.

3. Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Leben
Prediction: Chris Leben via Knockout, Round 2.
It’s always fun to watch Chris Leben fight. Though from looking at him, you might think he is more suited for welterweight. But that’s what great about The Crippler, despite logic and reasoning, he does what he wants to do in the octagon, and that’s going for the knock out, every time, no matter what. Having KO’d Terry Martin, Jorge Santiago and Mike Swick in the past, I say Leben gets his wish once more, and knocks out the much less tenacious and experienced Alessio Sakara. Sakara might be able to stick and move in the earlier rounds but eventually, Leben is going to catch him with something fierce.

4. Yushin Okami vs. Evan Tanner
Prediction: Yushin Okami via unanimous decision.
It’s finally here, the return of Evan Tanner. Problem is, he has the worst possible opponent to go up against. I don’t know who in the UFC made this match up, but the person might have a personal vendetta against Evan Tanner. Its not that Yushin Okami is terribly intimidating, it’s just that his tactics are so difficult to get around.

Okami is great at what he does, and that’s grind out decisions using intelligent, yet hardly entertaining strategy. Even if the Evan Tanner of old comes out and throws everything he can at Okami, it sill probably wont be enough to defeat the younger, stronger, faster, and probably smarter opponent. I don’t like to say it because I’d love to see Evan Tanner climb back to the top of the middleweight division, but I predict victory for Yushin Okami by way of decision…again.

5. Jon Fitch vs. Chris Wilson
Prediction: Jon Fitch via submission (choke) in Round 1.
The only real no-brainer of the evening. Chris Wilson is a last minute fill-in for an injured Akihiro Gono, and to his credit has a decent record behind him at 13-3. In time, Chris Wilson could become a hell of an MMA fighter, but this match is way premature for the short notice replacement, and I doubt he even sees the second round of action. Jon Fitch is freakishly strong and smart when it comes to grappling. I say Fitch wastes no time taking this one to the ground, and slapping on a choke that makes Wilson tap faster than Gregory Hines.

6. Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake O’Brien
Prediction: Andrei Arlovski via TKO, Round 1.
Undefeated in 10 fights, Jake O’Brien’s only notable win comes over Heath Herring last year at UFC Fight Night 8. O’Brien scored a unanimous decision that night, but tonight in Columbus it’s sure to be a different story. Simply put, Andrei Arlovski is a better fighter with a more well rounded game and experience to match.

Sure this is may be Arlovski’s last fight in the UFC, but that isn’t enough to make him any less threatening inside the octagon. Jake O’Brien will likely shoot for the takedown as soon as possible, but that will either get thwarted by The Pitbull into a sprawl n’ brawl, or Arlovski will employ some sambo once on the ground for a submission. Wherever this one goes, Arlovski has the advantage. It’s just a matter of when and how, I’ll say Arlovski bags himself a TKO victory.

7. Luigi Fioravanti vs. Luke Cummo
Prediction: Luke Cummo via unanimous decision
Luke Cummo is probably the better fighter of the two, his ground game is solid and his stand up is still decent enough to give him a fighting chance against average level competition. Remember, while Luke Cummo is only 6-4, his losses were against guys like Joe Stevenson and Josh Koscheck, both of whom he went the distance with and held his own.

Luigi Fioravanti has impressive striking skills, but he hasn’t proved a whole lot in his past fights compared to Luke Cummo. Fioravanti hasn’t really been able to hang with the top tier competition as much, and I predict he will be incapable of mounting a significant offense once Luke Cummo starts working the ground game. I say Luke Cummo picks up the decision in this one.

8. Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Koscheck
Prediction: Josh Koshcheck via TKO, Round 3.
Even though Josh Koshcheck is rather hated upon for his underwhelming fighting style, the guy is still a phenomenal wrestler with at least better than average striking ability. Dustin Hazelett has some good experience fighting in the UFC, and will be making his fifth appearance inside the octagon when he faces Koscheck later tonight.

This means that Dustin’s nerves shouldn’t get the better of him when he faces the former collegiate wrestling champ, but it doesn’t mean he is ready for the challenge. No doubt, I believe Hazelett will make things interesting, but Koscheck will still be able to neutralize his game and apply the impending ground n’ pound. I say Koscheck takes this one via TKO in the third.

9. Diego Sanchez vs. David Bielkheden
Prediction: Diego Sanchez via TKO, Round 3.
Honestly, I know next to nothing about David Bielkheden. I know he is Swedish, holds a record of 12-5, and has beaten some people that I also don’t know anything about. So I have to go with Diego Sanchez on this one. Diego must be hungry after losing two boring decisions to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, and I imagine he will be taking his frustration out on one David Bielkheden. From looking at his fight record, David Bielkheden appears to be more of a ground guy which is good, because Diego is a big ground n’ pounder.

Will David’s jiujitsu game be enough to keep Sanchez from getting the better of him on the ground? Probably not. I’m assuming Diego will be taking this on to the canvas fast, where he can tag Bielkheden with strikes which will either earn the TKO, or provide him the opportunity to sink in a submission. Just for fun, I’ll say it goes the TKO route.

10. John Halverson vs. Jorge Gurgel
Prediction: John Halverson via TKO, Round 3.
Jorge Gurgel has phenomenal jiujitsu, but that alone will not enable him to nab the victory over seasoned John Halverson. Halverson is strong enough on the ground to fend off any early submission attempts, and is willing to take chances with striking exchanges. Halverson will probably try some ground n’ pound which Gurgel will try to neutralize with his jiujitsu, but eventually one or two of Halverson’s shots will find a way to Gurgel’s face, and from there its only a matter of time. I say Halverson takes it via TKO in the third round.

• 7pm
  American Fighter/MMA Junkie Pre-Party
  Frog Bear & Wild Boar
  

Friday, February 29th

• 10am-Noon
  UFC autograph Session with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Houston Alexander, Jason MacDonald, Jorge Rivera, Arianny Celeste, and Edith Labelle
  Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 1pm
  Q&A with UFC President Dana White
  Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 1pm
  UFC Fight Club Q&A with UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera
  Nationwide Arena
• 2-4pm
  UFC autograph session with Marcus Davis, Frankie Edgar, Chris Lytle, and Sam Stout
  Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 4pm
  UFC 82: Pride of a Champion Weigh-ins
  Nationwide Arena (doors open at 3pm)
• 5:30-7:30pm
  UFC autograph session with Marcus Davis, Frankie Edgar, and Houston Alexander
  F.Y.E
• 6-9pm
  MMA Meet & Greet
  Holiday Inn City Center
• 8pm
  American Fighter/MMA Junkie Pre-Party
  Mynt

Saturday, March 1st

• 10am-Noon
  UFC autograph session with Marcus Davis, Jorge Rivera, Frankie Edgar, Mike Swick, Gabriel Gonzaga,Arianny Celeste, Edith LaBelle
  Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 2pm-4pm
  UFC autograph session with Jason MacDonald, Houston Alexander, Sam Stout, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
  Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 8pm
  UFC 82: Pride of a Champion
  Nationwide Arena

Sunday, March 2nd

• 10am-Noon
  UFC autograph session with Jorge Rivera, Mike Swick, Jason MacDonald, and Edith LaBelle
  Greater Columbus Convention Center
• 2pm-4pm
  UFC autograph session with Gabriel Gonzaga, Sam Stout, and Edith LaBelle
  Greater Columbus Convention Center

MMAFrenzy.com is your source for live coverage of all UFC events. Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com on Friday, February 29th, at 4pm ET for LIVE coverage of the UFC 82 weigh-ins and on Saturday, March 1st, beginning at 7pm for LIVE coverage of UFC 82 from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Notice an event that is missing from the schedule? Leave a comment HERE.

Just in case you needed help getting hyped for UFC 82, tonight Spike TV will be airing “UFC 82 Countdown: Silva vs. Henderson” at 11 p.m ET. The countdown will also re-air on Wednesday, February 27 at 11pm and Saturday, March 1 at 6:00pm.

Here is a brief summary of what we’ll see on tonight’s show according to the UFC.com listing:

“Brazil’s Anderson Sliva prepares to defend his middleweight title against PRIDE titleholder Dan Henderson. See how they train, what they eat and what they are doing to prepare in their homes in Brazil and California.”

In case the graphic above didn’t give it away, UFC 82 “Pride Of A Champion” will be broadcast live on pay-per-view Saturday, March 1, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH.

The fight, which will be broadcast during the pay-per-view portion of the ten-bout event, bumped David Bielkheden versus Diego Sanchez to the preliminary, untelevised card.

Official Fight Card

Main Card

• Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson
  Middleweight Championship Bout
• Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo
• Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Leben
• Yushin Okami vs. Evan Tanner
• Chris Wilson vs. Jon Fitch

Preliminary Bouts

• Jake O’Brien vs. Andrei Arlovski
• Luigi Fioravanti vs. Luke Cummo
• Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Koscheck
• David Bielkheden vs. Diego Sanchez
• John Halverson vs. Jorge Gurgel

For more on UFC 82 check out the MMAFrenzy.com rumors section.

Notable fighters Andrei Arlovski, who is reportedly on his way out of the UFC, and The Ultimate Fighter 1 cast member Josh Koscheck will both appear on the untelevised preliminary card of the event.

UFC 82 takes place on March 1st at The Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and will air on PPV.

Official Fight Card

Main Card

• Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson
  Middleweight Championship Bout
• Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo
• Yushin Okami vs. Evan Tanner
• Chris Wilson vs. Jon Fitch
• David Bielkheden vs. Diego Sanchez

Preliminary Bouts

• Jake O’Brien vs. Andrei Arlovski
• Luigi Fioravanti vs. Luke Cummo
• Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Koscheck
• John Halverson vs. Jorge Gurgel

For more on UFC 82 check out the MMAFrenzy.com rumors section.