UFC 82, which will be held on March 1st, boasts an electrifying card that is sure to rock Columbus. Even the preliminary card is intriguing, featuring stars such as Diego Sanchez, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Koscheck, and Jorge Gurgel. However, I’ll leave those guys to the larger preview tomorrow and instead focus on the strategy of the most interesting fight on the card: Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva. Surprised?

The biggest question surrounding this fight is "Can anyone stop Anderson Silva?" Silva has looked simply dominant since his UFC debut against Chris Leben, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Travis Lutter has come the closest to dethroning the Middleweight champion, but he got caught in a triangle choke courtesy of Silva's incredibly long legs. Silva's immaculate striking skills and Muay Thai expertise give him a huge advantage over most opponents.

However, "Dangerous" Dan Henderson has never been knocked out. He has a great chin, which will definitely help him in his quest to survive Silva's standup. Silva is going to throw everything that he has at Henderson, including the kitchen sink. The direction of the fight all depends on Dan Henderson's game plan.

Henderson's obvious best bet is to take Silva to the ground. Being a Greco Roman wrestler, Henderson should have the advantage when it comes to take downs and controlling the pace on the ground. However, Silva's ground game is very underrated. Anderson Silva has very long arms and legs, which he can (and does) use to his advantage on the ground. He also has great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills that are rarely seen due to the simple fact that he finishes a lot of his fights before they have a chance to get to the ground.

A secondary question is whether or not Dan Henderson can make the return to Middleweight. Henderson obviously looked very impressive in his last fight as a Middleweight, knocking out Wanderlei Silva in the third round. Look for Henderson to look slightly more comfortable at Middleweight as he was one of the smallest light heavyweights.

Defeating Anderson Silva won’t be an easy task for Hendo. Silva has 4 losses, including a disqualification, a close split decision in his first professional fight, and a slightly ridiculous and very surprising "flying scissor inverted heel hook.” Also, along with Henderson, Silva has never been knocked out.

Henderson's best bet is to aim for a decision victory over Silva. He should have no problem taking Silva down, but when he takes the fight to the ground he needs to control the pace of the fight and stay active. He can't let Silva have an inch, or he may wind up with his face on the mat for the first time in his career.

This will definitely be a great brawl between two great competitors. If I had to choose between the two, I would have to take Anderson Silva. I’m basing this on his unmatched standup, his underrated ground game, and his status as the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world.