UFC 82 Prediction

Okay, tonight is the Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Sylva middleweight fight that serious fans have been anticipating for a while. I think this is going to be a real barn burner of a fight. No one can deny the Mauy Thai skills of Sylva. This guys’ clinch is phenomenal and it helps serve up those devastating knee strikes. And outside of the clinch, who else in MMA today can deliver such pinpoint strikes? Anderson Sylva is an incredible fighter and an incredible athlete. So, with this build-up you might think I am calling the fight for Sylva, but not so fast. As much as I think he is a dominant fighter, I am actually leaning toward Henderson in this one. Watching him stand toe-to-toe with Rampage Jackson showed the toughness and savvy of this fighter. His ability to tie up and “dirty box” is top notch. Beside that, he is extremely dominant on the ground. Now, Sylva has very solid ground game, but it is certainly not at the level of Henderson’s. So here is how I think this fight goes. Sylva stalks Henderson for the first round and tries to work that clinch and lay his gloves on Henderson. I think Henderson will keep moving and wait to set up his shots. Eventually however, I think Henderson ties Sylva up, takes him to the ground, works strikes and keeps him down most of the fight. The end result I think is that Henderson walks away with a decision. So that is my prediction, in the mean time, we will wait and see. Enjoy the fights!