Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Anderson Silva speaks with a quiet confidence, deflects directly answering questions about his greatness, and is quick with a smile.

When he sometimes wears glasses, his wiry frame and soft-spoken demeanor suggest librarian, accountant, anything but what he transforms himself into when the bell rings and he stands in the octagon: Superman, err ... Spiderman.

Perhaps global crimefighting should be his next gig, because he's running out of challenges in the UFC.

Dan Henderson was the latest victim of "the Spider's" web, succumbing to a rear naked choke at 4:52 of the second round during UFC 82 at Nationwide Arena. The victory makes Silva the undisputed 185-pound king of the MMA world.

"He's pound for pound, the best in the world," Dana White said. "Anyone who tries to debate that is out of their mind."

And yes, PRIDE fans, he will actually receive the organization's belt, having unified the titles.

After a rough first round that saw Silva taken down and controlled for much of the action, the Brazilian superstar came out of his corner with a renewed look of determination. Throwing the unpredictable combinations that are his trademark, he began battering Henderson, who fired back with a right hand that sent Silva backward. But the champ kept his composure, responding with a thunderous left that wobbled Henderson.

Henderson tried to answer with power punches, but Silva stood on the outside and picked him off with clean shots. As Henderson fell to the mat, he tried to grab onto Silva's leg, but the champion pulled away and ended up in top position. With a minute left, Silva took Henderson's back, dropping shots to the side of his head before sinking in a rear naked choke.

With the clock running down to zero, it was a race against time, and Silva squeezed the choke tightly as Henderson tried to hold on, but with less than 10 seconds to go, Henderson started to go limp but managed to tap before falling unconscious.

"I'm greatful I'm the champion," Silva said after the fight through his interpreter Ed Soares. "I still don't consider myself the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world until I'm retired. Then I can look back and see if I was the best at that time."

While Silva maintains his modesty, many of the rest of the men who shared the octagon with him on Saturday night were more blunt in their assessments.

"Unbelievable," said Diego Sanchez, who beat David Bielkheden with a first-round submission. "He's definitely the best pound-for-pound."

"I agree," concurred Jon Fitch, a unanimous decision winner over Chris Wilson. "You watched Henderson battle Rampage a few months ago (in a light-heavyweight title fight), and it was a very close, awesome fight. Anderson Silva put Henderson away. That's amazing."

Added Josh Koscheck, who KO'd Dustin Hazelett, "He's a bad dude, and I don't want to fight him."

Fitch noted that he and Koscheck spent time in the same training room with Silva over the weekend, and that they marveled at his fluidity and movement during his workout. It is a combination unmatched right now in the sport.

So now the question for Dana White is: What's next for Silva? He's pretty much conquered every big-name foe in the division. He's beaten Rich Franklin twice, Henderson, and Nate Marquardt. Yushin Okami is one possibility. The Japanese fighter knocked out ex-middleweight champ Evan Tanner, and holds a DQ win over Silva, which is his last loss.

Video   White: Silva is the best fighter in the world March 1: Dana White says Silva is the greatest middleweight ever NBC Sports

The other possibility is that Silva moves up in weight class to the light-heavyweight division. However, Jackson and Forrest Griffin are already scheduled for a title showdown later this summer, and if Silva was next in line, he'd likely have to wait until the fall. As one of UFC's biggest stars, that's unlikely.

"If that’s what the UFC thinks to have me face [Okami], I'd face him," Silva said. "If the UFC would like me to move up in weight and the fans want to see it, I'm here to fight the best in the world and put on the fight they want to see."

The rest of the card was filled with action.

Andrei Arlovski ended his 11-month inactive stretch with a second-round TKO of Jake O'Brien, handing the 23-year-old his first loss. Arlovski withstood a first round filled with takedowns, and scored a trip takedown of his own in round two that resulted in a fight-ending flurry from full mount.

Jon Fitch moved one step closer to a welterweight title shot after a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Chris Wilson, his eighth straight in the UFC and 15^th straight overall. White noted that Fitch was already near the top of the 170-pound contenders and could have waited for Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra to settle the division, but instead risked everything to stay active.

"I've paid my dues and I think I should be pretty close to that position [for a title shot]," Fitch said. "There aren't too many guys who go 8-0 in the UFC. I've earned my position. Nobody coddled me. I asked [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva a long time ago to give me tough fights. I want to sleep at night knowing I fought tough guys."

In an exciting heavyweight match, Heath Herring outlasted Cheick Kongo in a split decision. The two had one of the most active heavyweight matches in some time, splitting their time on the ground and standing as they fought from bell to bell.

Herring noted that his new training and conditioning program paid dividends as he won the pivotal final round.

"I think the results spoke for themselves," he said. "I don't think anyone's seen me go so hard for so long in a while.

UFC 82 news and notes
• Dana White said that due to the overwhelming success the company has experience in Ohio, the UFC will make Columbus an annual event during the Arnold Sports Festival Weekend.

• The venue had a paid crowd of 16,431 fans, for a gate of $2.2 million.

• The event awards were dominated by Anderson Silva. The champ and his challenger received the "Fight of the Night" award bonus of $60,000. Silva also received "Submission of the Night," so he raked in an extra $120,000. Chris Leben won $60,000 for "Knockout of the Night" for his demolition of Alessio Sakara.

• White noted that the UFC offered Randy Couture a heavyweight title match with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira last week. The two sides are embroiled in a messy legal contract situation, with courts in two states involved. White said the UFC has had no response on the matter.

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