“Anderson Silva has been so dominant as UFC Middleweight Champion that people are starting to wonder if there is anyone out there who can dethrone him,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Now Pride champion Dan Henderson has stepped up to the challenge. Anderson Silva may be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and Dan Henderson may be the strongest, toughest guy in the middleweight division so there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a battle that goes down in the history books.”

Silva (20-4), fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil, is an extremely well-rounded fighter with phenomenal striking skills as well as a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He became the UFC 185 lb. Champion when he defeated Rich Franklin at UFC 64 via a first round KO. The Spider then took on Travis Lutter in February non-title bout, with Silva finishing Lutter by submission at 2:11 of the second round. Silva defended his title for the first time against Nathan Marquardt at UFC 73 in July and scored an impressive first round TKO. In October, the Brazilian firmly established himself on top of the pound for pound list when he knocked out Franklin a second time in their highly-anticipated rematch at UFC 77, and on March 1st, Silva will look to add a third UFC title defense to his record, as well as a new accolade as the undisputed 185 lb. world champion by defeating PRIDE 185 lb. Champion Dan Henderson at UFC 82.

“I’m really motivated and I’m looking forward to this fight because it’s going to be the two best middleweights in the world putting their belt on the line - winner takes all,” said Silva. These are the fights everyone wants to see. I will put on a great performance and a good show for all the UFC fans in the world, the United States, and especially in Ohio. The people there treated me with so much respect the last time I was there, I can’t wait to go back.”

Fighting out of Temecula, California, Dan Henderson (22-6) is one of the most decorated wrestlers in United States history, and the two-time Olympian has a truckload of amateur championships to his name. He has matched that success in the world of mixed martial arts, beating Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Murilo Bustamante, and Ryo Chonan en route to becoming the only man in PRIDE history to hold both the 183-pound and 205-pound championships at the same time. In September, Henderson returned to the Octagon for the first time since 1998 and engaged in a torrid five round war with UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson before losing a close decision. Now dropping back to 185 pounds, Henderson has his sights firmly set on Silva.

“I know that I can beat everyone at 185 pounds, and that’s what I’m gonna do on March 1st,” said Henderson. “I think style-wise, I’m a bad match-up for Anderson Silva, whereas his previous opponents have been good match-ups. So I don’t think it will be a problem to beat him. I’ll take a knockout or a submission – I’m just excited to fight him and to fight in Ohio, I know it has a big wrestling community, and with my wrestling background, I think I’ll have a lot of support.”

During the conference, Dan Henderson reveals he’s still weighing in at about nine pounds too heavy after his workouts, but is now starting to watch the scales a little to be ready for his middleweight challenge. And having fought his last battle against Rampage Jackson at 205, Dan says he is comfortable fighting in both light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.

He sounded extremely motivated for this upcoming match. “I’m looking at winning this fight, and in my mind there’s no doubt that I will be winning this fight. So I haven’t really thought about the outcome if I lose, you know, and that’s just how my mind is.”

UFC’s Jennifer Wenk announces that Anderson Silva will be making his remarks through his translator, Derek. When asked how he feels about facing off against Henderson, Anderson says, “Dan Henderson is one of the best fighters. He’s proved that through many fights with many great guys. He’s got a totally different game, but it’s a great game, and it’s going to be a very good fight. It’s going to be an honor to fight Dan Henderson, especially under UFC, which is the biggest event.” 

Dan is asked how he thinks Anderson’s style compares with his. “Well, I think he’s definitely the more responding striker and he has a little bit of a reach advantage on me. His strength is getting into the clench and beating guys up in there, and that happens to be my strength. I feel that my style matches up great against his. I’m pretty comfortable in the clench, no matter who I’m in there with… I feel like I have quite a bit of power, that I could still be able to knock him out even though he’s the better striker. So, style-wise, I feel pretty confident about that,” says Henderson.

And Anderson doesn’t intend making too many changes to his game to cope with Dan’s style of fighting. “I’m going to have to continue doing what I do best, which is my Muay-Thai. Even though I’ve been training a lot of jiu jitsu, I still have to maintain my Muay-Thai because that’s what got me to where I am, and that’s my strong point,” says Silva.

At UFC 75:Champion vs. Champion, Henderson was out-pointed by Rampage Jackson in a very toughly fought battle. Dan says he has viewed the fight since then. “I have looked back at that a little bit, and I don’t know. In my mind, it was a close fight – could’ve gone either way, and at the time, I thought I had done enough to win the fight, and even watching a replay of it, some of those rounds were a lot closer than I thought. So I’m definitely going to be a little bit more aggressive in certain situations in this fight.”

On the subject of whether the Nogueiras have been giving Anderson any pointers for dealing with Dan, Silva says, “I’ve been training with the Nogueira brothers for a long time. They’re the ones who awarded me my black belt, and I’ve basically just been training a lot of jiu jitsu with both brothers, and a lot of different positions, but nothing specific – just basic training.” 

Dan elaborates on why he took the fight. “It’s just the fact that what Anderson has done in the UFCs…Plus, he’s the champion there, and he’s somebody it would be an honor for me to get in there and test myself against. I get up for the challenges, and he’s a big challenge. He’s dangerous, and to be able to fight him and challenge myself in that way is what I thrive on.”

In regard to Anderson’s main concerns about Dan, Silva says, “Dan Henderson’s experience is something that is concerning, and he’s got some strong punches, and he’s a great fighter. He’s a great champion. Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin are probably the best strikers in the category, and I have to see how it goes, just watching out for Dan Henderson’s punches.”

HEATH HERRING vs. CHEICK KONGO

ALESSIO SAKARA vs. CHRIS LEBEN

YUSHIN OKAMI vs. EVAN TANNER

CHRIS WILSON vs. JON FITCH

JAKE O’BRIEN vs. ANDREI ARLOVSKI

LUIGI FIORAVANTI vs. LUKE CUMMO

DUSTIN HAZELETT vs. JOSH KOSCHECK

JOHN HALVERSON vs. JORGE GURGEL

DAVID BIEKHEDEN vs. DIEGO SANCHEZ

LIVE FROM NATIONWIDE ARENA, COLUMBUS, OHIO, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2008.

For a review of UFC 82, stay tuned to www.knucklepit.com.