UFC 82 looks like it might be good

http://www.covers.com/articles/articles ... 160060&t=0

2 very interesting fights

[b:2nqbt0yy]Heath Herring +135 vs. Cheick Kongo -165[/b:2nqbt0yy]

There was a lot expected of Heath Herring when he came into the UFC, but talk about a bust. Herring does possess some skill, but each time he steps into the octagon he looks worse and the bad news is that his opponent looks to be improving after each fight. I am not sold on Kongo because his ground game is absolutely horrendous and even though the guy is absolutely shredded and has maybe half an ounce of fat on his entire body, he can’t work from the bottom.

The only way Herring wins this fight is if he gets Kongo on the ground, but I don’t see that happening since for whatever reason, Herring, with his unorthodox stance, likes to exchange. That doesn’t bode well against a guy who has solid leg kicks and strong jabs.

Pick: The reach of Kongo will be the difference and the fact that Herring is a load will work against him if this fight should go the distance. Look for the trend of favorites to continue, so chalk it up for Kongo with the conditioning factor, leg strikes that will wear down Herring in the early rounds, and the confidence with just coming off a huge win against one of the elite fighters in the world.

[b:2nqbt0yy]Anderson Silva -165 vs. Dan Henderson +135[/b:2nqbt0yy]

This is the match we have all been waiting for, including the owners and president of the UFC. “The Spider” and “Hendo”. This match is very intriguing because it’s a battle of two completely different styles of fighter.

Hendo proved that he could go blow-for-blow with the light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and The Spider showed that former champion Rich “Ace” Franklin, even in front of his home crowd, could not answer the vicious knees of Silva’s strong Thai clinch.

The UFC owners wanted and needed Dan Henderson to move down in weight to give Anderson Silva a formidable opponent, but can he successfully make the transition? Is this the man to dethrone the one who has ripped through the middleweight division in less then two years time?

Quite simply, I don’t think he is. Hendo does have the power to put Silva on his back, but Silva proved he could submit a submission specialist when he pounded Travis Lutter with nasty elbows to the top of the head. Silva has also shown he isn’t fazed by fighting in “hostile territory” and displayed precise punching when he landed jab after jab and punch after punch in his UFC debut against Chris Leben.

This guy is a freak of nature. You only see this type of pure, naturally-gifted fighter in rare occurrences and guess what? Silva is the real deal. When Silva wins on Saturday again in hostile territory, you can put him in the same category as the Gracies, Couture, Shamrock, and all others that have built this sport up to its current level. This will be a great fight and probably the one and only time you will see Silva in some trouble, but Henderson doesn’t have enough to win against this machine. Silva will show the world on Saturday night that he belongs with the elite fighters of the MMA world.

Pick: Silva via stoppage in third round. This is the smartest wager of the night with the public always looking for the underdog story. If you believe the hype that Hendo is the one person that can beat Silva, you’re wrong.