UFC 82: The Pride of a Champion was held over the weekend at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and the big winner that night was none other than Anderson Silva. The 32-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist took down PRIDE 183o-pound champion Dan Henderson nearly five minutes into the second round, defeating his American opponent with a rear naked choke and retaining his Middleweight title.
Silva's win left Henderson with no hard feelings, however.
“My hat's off to Anderson Silva,” Henderson graciously said. “He was definitely the better fighter tonight. I controlled him well and beat him up a little bit in that first round and he came back ready to get after me in that second round. He dazed me a little bit on the ground and he got me in the choke.”
The first round of the bout actually went to Henderson, who fought well against Silva's powerful kicks and managed to fire off a series of hammerfists at close range. However, come the second round, a more urgent Silva came out, and when there was less than a minute to go, the Brazilian fighter managed to get Henderson's back and sink in the rear naked choke. Henderson tried valiantly to free himself, but ultimately was forced to tap out.
With the win, Silva's record now reads 21-4, while Henderson's reads 22-7. Silva collected $260,000 for his win. According to the Ohio Athletic Commission, Silva's basic purse was $140,000, including a win bonus worth $70,000.
UFC also gave the Brazilian fighter an additional $120,000 for winning bonuses for fight of the night and submission of the night.
If Henderson had won the fight, he would have taken home a win bonus of $150,000.
Other fighters who emerged victorious at UFC 82 include Andrei Arlovski, who collected $170,000 for defeating Jake O'Brien, Heath Herring, who earned $140,000 for beating Cheick Kongo, and
Chris Leben, who took home $110,000 ($60,000 of which is for winning knockout of the night) for taking down Alessio Sakara.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: UFC.com, Slam! Sports
(Image Courtesy of UFC.com)