Silva's abilities on another level

by STEVE COFIELD, Special to FOXSports.com

Updated: March 1, 2008, 10:34 PM EST 25 comments

Anderson Silva is 8-1 in the last three years. (Gabriel Bouys / Getty Images)

Going back 10 years guys like Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva all carried the same tag. Eventually someone found their Achilles' heel. As UFC 82 approaches, will Anderson Silva suffer the same fate or is he the anomaly?

Silva, the UFC middleweight champion (185 pounds) and Dan Henderson, the Pride Fighting (Japan's version of UFC) 183-pound champion, meet on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 82 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Silva, 32, has been awesome over the last three years. He's 8-1 with the only "loss" coming on a disqualification against Yushin Okami. The fight was stopped when Silva knocked out Okami with a heel to the face on the ground. It was an illegal shot because Okami was on his knees. Silva has won his eight fights sandwiched around the Okami fight, seven by KO/ TKO and one other by submission.

"In Silva, you're dealing with a guy who has laser sharp precision on his striking," says UFC color analyst Joe Rogan. "He lands punches, kicks and knees in combinations that we've never seen before. He's very versatile and moves back and forth with angles that confuses his opponent. If you look at the fight-ending combination that he laid on Rich Frankin, the fluidity of his motions were excellent. He is on another level."

Silva has been so effective in cleaning up the weight class that it looked devoid of any real challengers until Henderson, who was the 205 and 183 champ in Pride, decided to move back down in weight from 205 where he lost his last fight to UFC champion Quinton Jackson.

Henderson had a wry look on his face at the final UFC 82 press conference on Thursday. He's not buying into the latest guy with the "unbeatable" label.

"He's dangerous on the ground. He's dangerous in the clinch and on the feet" said Henderson. "But he's never fought anyone like me. Just my background in Greco-Roman wrestling. It doesn't play well into his strengths. I'm better in those in those clinch situations."

Henderson's wrestling was so good that he competed for the U.S. team in the 1992 and '96 Olympics. UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture was also an Olympic-level Greco-Roman wrestler. He used his clinch game to snuff out Ortiz and Liddell in past fights.

This will be a test of strength once the fighters lock up. Silva is deceptive. He's listed at 6-foot-2, but appears to be closer to 6-4 once in the ring. He doesn't have the classic fighter's thick build but he is strong. He's made fighters look incredibly weak once he gets a hold of them; Silva tossed around former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin like a rag doll in their two fights.

"The way they matched up, Rich Franklin complimented all of Anderson's strengths," said Henderson. "And made Anderson look really good, like a lot better than the fighter that he is."

Silva has used a technique called the Thai clinch to systematically break down fighters. In a face-to-face position, Silva grabs the opponent behind the neck with two hands. From there, he can pull the head down and strike with vicious knees to the head or body. He broke Franklin's nose within seconds of locking on that clinch in their first fight. Franklin, who is a big fighter for the 185 class, said he felt like he was grappling with 265-pound Tim Sylvia when Silva slapped on that hold.

"You can't let him get you in that clinch," said Henderson. "If he does you can't just stand there and try to pull your head straight back. Then he can knee you to the body or head. There's a lot of techniques to get out. I'll show you Saturday."

There's no doubting Henderson's strength and experience. He has wins over Wanderlei Silva and the current UFC interim heavyweight champ Antonio Nogueira (240 pounds). Battling fighters from 185 to 240, Henderson isn't a believer that his opponent is the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world.

"I just know what the truth is," said Henderson, addressing the pound-for-pound issue. "That's not it. It does me no good to talk about it though. It does me good to beat him up Saturday night."

Silva's stand-up game is devastating. His hands are great — he is about as close to a pro boxer as you'll find in MMA with hand speed and the tightness with which he holds his hands. He throws vicious elbows standing. Tony Fryklund was knocked out by one.

That said, MMA fighters with a wrestling background say Silva is susceptible to the takedown.

"That may be the case, but you can't do it and then lay and pray," says HDNet fighter and analyst Frank Trigg, who wrestled at Oklahoma. "Silva's guard is very active and we saw that he's dangerous with submissions. Travis Lutter found that out with the triangle choke."

Henderson speaks like this is just another fight. That hasn't been the case with guys like Lutter or Franklin who looked shaky as soon as they stepped into the Octagon with Silva.

"This is definitely a big challenge," said Henderson. "He's the more refined striker but his strength is getting into the clinch. And that happens to be my strength. My style matches up great. I'm going to be comfortable in there. No matter who it is, I have quite a bit of power."

Henderson and Silva appear to be way ahead of the pack in the 185 class. A big win by Silva here and UFC has its work cut out in terms of future matchmaking.

"This is a dream fight for a lot of fans. If Silva walks through Henderson," said UFC president Dana White. "I don't know who is ever going to beat him."