One man will leave this match a welterweight title contender.

With UFC Fight Night 82 right around the corner, many people are wondering if the event will be haunted by the ghost of the scrapped heavyweight title bout between Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez. The problem with that notion is that Johny “Big Rig” Hendricks vs Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a great bout worthy of a main event slot. This match up could very well determine who will be next to challenge for the welterweight championship. Ever since Georges St. Pierre has retired from active competition the welterweight division has become one of the most exciting weight classes in the sport. Hendricks has already tasted UFC gold while Thompson is hoping to defeat the former champion and solidify himself as the number one contender. Both men are coming off of victories, though where Hendricks own win was a bread and butter wrestling attack, Thompson’s was a thrilling first round KO of Jake Ellenberger. Now the two will meet in a match up that will clash two different styles of fighting. Hendricks is a gritty, hard-nosed wrestler with a tremendous amount of power in his hands. He has hurt almost every opponent he has faced in the octagon and looks to use solid boxing fundamentals coupled with powerful wrestling to keep his opponent on their heels. His last performance saw him dominating Matt Brown in the wrestling and grappling department, but never truly landing anything of significance during the bout. Despite that, Hendricks showed a willingness to stick to a game plan that he believed would secure him victory rather than look to please the fans with striking exchanges and wild scrambles. If there is anything to be said about Hendricks it’s that he’s an intelligent fighter who looks for the most logical approach to victory.

The same can be said for Stephen Thompson. The life long karate practioner has used his stellar striking arsenal to wow UFC fans with some spectacular knock outs. Where Hendricks has a more boxing and wrestling based attack, Thompson likes to focus on long range striking to get the job done. Where wrestling was once a weakness in his game it’s starting to become one of the more overlooked pieces of his overall game. Thompson is a master of controlling distance with front leg kicks, solid counter punching, and laser-beam accuracy. When he wants to land strikes he does so and his opponents usually never see it coming. His lone UFC loss came to the aforementioned Matt Brown which saw Thompson taken down a number of times, but since then “Wonderboy” has made it his mission to not only improve in the wrestling department, but excel and use the skill as a weapon. The biggest factor in this fight is who will be able to fight at their distance. At 5’9” Hendricks usually finds himself the shorter man when competing. That usually means that the former champ has to close the distance and get in his opponents face, keeping constant pressure with punches, low kicks, and wrestling to keep them off balance. Thompson prefers to strike at distance and pick his opponents apart until he’s able to unleash a fight ending blow. He’s the taller man in this fight, knows how to use his length and also has some tremendous footwork which will be a key factor for both men in this bout. Despite his power Hendricks may want to avoid having a striking match with the veteran striker and should instead look to employ constant pressure, get Thompson against the cage and work takedowns. Thompson on the other hand will have to use lateral movement, kick and punch from long range and avoid smothering his own offense. This fight is pretty close in terms of the skills of both men, but I’m thinking that Stephen Thompson will pull off the upset. Though Johny Hendricks is an extremely talented fighter with great boxing and wrestling, it’s a skill set that Thompson has seen before and has been able to exploit. Thompson has the footwork and speed to play keep away from Hendricks, all while landing strikes of his own. I believe it’s a daunting task for Hendricks to chase after Thompson for five rounds without getting winded, particularly since he’s had conditioning issues in the past. Look for the karate master Thompson to play a smart counter punching game before scoring a knock out in the fourth round against a game Hendricks. Who do you think will win the main event of UFC Fight Night 82? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor and geek culture enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and keep up with his latest exploits.