Issue 037
May 2008
March 1st 2008. Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio.
Report: Daniel Fletcher. Photos: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC.
This was a main event between two champions, but only one had a belt on the line. Anderson Silva is the most dominant and ruthlessly efficient middleweight champion that The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has ever had, while Dan Henderson was a two-time Pride champ (though the Japanese promotion is now dead and buried).
With Henderson hopping weight categories with gutsy abandon, he tried his luck at light heavy against Rampage Jackson but came up short in a close fight with the 205lb title holder back in September. Dana White had to bust out the charm to get Henderson to drop to 185lb, a division he has never had trouble making and the one he was most suited to in the States. But a certain Brazilian kickboxer didn’t take kindly to the arrival of a former Olympian in the division he called his own, and went to town in showing us what happens when you think you’re going home with his belt.
Silva takes out Henderson in two
If you were to look up the word ‘unstoppable’ in the dictionary, you’d probably find a picture of Anderson Silva. A tired analogy and a cliché it may be, but Silva has reached that level, especially given his handling of Dan Henderson. Henderson, the feared wrestler-brawler known for a granite chin, heavy right hand and balls the size of coconuts, was touted as not only the best person, but the only person to pose a threat to Silva.
Anderson had other ideas. It looked like Henderson was on track to showing the Brazilian what its like to face an elite middleweight, sticking the lanky kickboxer on his back around two minutes into the first and pounding away at his head with short chopping shots for the rest of the round. Silva, though unhurt, was pissed, and he animatedly voiced his displeasure at his corner during the break.
The second round started and Dan edged out, rightly cautious of Silva’s Muay Thai skills. Henderson swung in his usual heavy handed style, while Silva stayed at range and flicked out punches and kicks. Whereas in the first round Henderson had circled around Silva, this time Silva was pressing forward, continually cutting off the Octagon.
As Henderson swung a giant haymaker, Silva threw a kick of sorts, but the point of his knee came up and caught Henderson on the chin. It rocked the wrestler into shooting an almost immediate takedown. Woozy and unable to finish it, he grasped in vain for a single leg but Silva forced him to his back and went to work.
Punches and elbows from half guard only added to Henderson’s downfall, and Silva kept the pressure on until he gained the rear mount position. With his long legs triangled around Henderson’s body, Silva worked away and took a rear naked choke with only eight seconds left in the round.
Dan Henderson had one hell of a bandwagon for this fight. Even hardcore Silva fans admitted, it was a tough challenge for the champ, but not even the Olympian and former Pride champ could make it out of the second round. Silva is that damn good.
Where he goes from here is unclear. Though the talent is deep in the UFC’s middleweight division, he has pretty much cleared it of contenders, and the only alternatives are at a level way below him.
The one name that keeps popping up is that of Yushin Okami. The Japanese fighter holds a ‘win’ over Silva, as the Brazilian KO’d Okami with an illegal upkick on an event in Hawaii. Since then, Silva has repeatedly stated he feels robbed of the win, that Okami took an easy route through the tournament in which they were fighting, and he has even gone so far as to call Okami a “samurai without honour”. With Okami having KO’d Evan Tanner on the undercard of this very event, it is a possibility that Silva’s next challenger could be his old enemy.
Herring squeezes past Kongo
Cheick Kongo was once known as a kickboxer with no wrestling. A statuesque 6’4” blessed with long limbs, he is a very competent kickboxer, but his early fights in the UFC showed he had little idea of how to defend a takedown. Since then he has trained extensively in the States and elsewhere, counting fighters such as Quinton Jackson as his training partners. With a half decent sprawl and brawl game in place, he suddenly became a player in the UFC’s heavyweight division, especially given his decision victory over Mirko Cro Cop.
If Cheick Kongo had picked up any wrestling, he would need it against Heath Herring, a veteran of over 40 fights and spent the majority of his career in Japan facing off with some of the world’s top heavyweight fighters. Few expected Kongo to be the one to initiate the takedown though. The Frenchman shot in early and what followed was three rounds of back and fore grappling that saw both men rack up points and impress the judges. It was so close, a split decision was recorded in Herring’s favour.
Since joining the UFC Heath Herring has gone 2-2, including this narrow win over Kongo. He has already lost to the UFC’s heavyweight champ Minotauro, and has fought him a total of three times in his career. Kongo looked vastly improved and competent in every range, which is refreshing given some of his past bouts that involved prolonged periods on the mat. Even with the loss to a fighter who is a de facto gatekeeper, Kongo walks out of this fight with renewed vigour and marketability.
Round Up
In other action Andrei Arlovski blew through Jake O’Brien, a dull-as-ditchwater wrestler known for boring his opponents to death (as Heath Herring). Arlovski dispatched him in two rounds with strikes on the floor.
Chris Leben showed off his drunken monkey style striking skills to good effect in dropping fickle Italian Alessio Sakara in the first round of their fight, while Yushin Okami convincingly stopped the returning Evan Tanner with a brutal KO three minutes into the second round of their encounter.
Jon Fitch went one step closer to being a contender with a solid decision win over Chris Wilson and Josh Kosheck scored a cracking stoppage over Dustin Hazelett.
Full Results
Jorge Gurgel def John Halverson via Unanimous Decision
Diego Sanchez def David Bielkheden via Submission (Punches) 4.43 Rd1
Josh Koscheck def Dustin Hazelett via TKO (Kick and Punches) 1.24 Rd2
Luigi Fioravanti def Luke Cummo via Unanimous Decision
Andrei Arlovski def Jake O’Brien via TKO (Punches) 4.17 Rd2
Jon Fitch def Chris Wilson via Unanimous Decision
Yushin Okami def Evan Tanner via KO (Knee) 3.00 Rd2
Chris Leben def Alessio Sakara via TKO (Punches) 3.16 Rd1
Heath Herring def Cheick Kongo via Split Decision
Anderson Silva def Dan Henderson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 4.52 Rd2
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