UFC 82 takes place this Saturday night live at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and the biggest question in Mixed Martial Arts is about to be answered.

Who is the greatest middleweight on the planet? Defending UFC champion Anderson Silva or current PRIDE champion Dan Henderson?

Ahead of Saturday's show, here's a look ahead to the main matches taking place, including what promises to be a blockbuster main event.

Anderson Silva (20-4-0) v Dan Henderson (22-6-0)

Rarely in UFC history has there ever been such a difficult fight to call as Saturday’s blockbuster meeting between Silva and Henderson at UFC 82.

Silva is widely recognised as UFC's greatest pound-for-pound fighter. Unbeaten in MMA, his UFC record is 5-0. Four of those five wins have come by strikes, one by submission.

Henderson is dropping down to middleweight but has the power of a light-heavyweight. He has dominated MMA outside of the UFC, and goes into the main event on Saturday night off the back of a convincing win over Wanderlei Silva.

Anderson Silva is arguably the more lethal of the two fighters, but Henderson will become heavily fancied if he can cut off the ring.

Heath Herring (27-13-1) v Cheick Kongo (21-3-1)

Both fighters will feel they have something to prove when "Texas Crazy Horse" Herring and "The French Sensation" Kongo clash in Columbus Ohio.

Herring, whose wild side has seen him knock an opponent out before the fight even started back in 2005, is coming off the back of a rather less explosive defeat to Antonio Nogueira, which saw him fail to press home his advantage after flooring Nogueira in round one.

Kongo is making waves on the UFC scene with four wins from five contests, with the latest being his shock dominance of Mirko Cro Cop at "UFC 75: Champion vs Champion". A deadly kickboxer, Kongo needs to prove he can mix it if Herring lives up to his pre-fight billing by taking him to the floor.

Evan Tanner (34-6-0) v Yushin Okami (22-4-0)

If ever there was a man to put under the ‘one to watch’ category, Yushin Okami is that man.

Breaking the mould of the traditional Japanese fighter, Okami is a relentless ground-and-pounder rather than a submission obsessive. He has a victory over Anderson Silva to his name, albeit by disqualification, and a 5-1 UFC record shows why he is widely recognised as a top 10 middleweight fighter.

Okami will be looking to take advantage of a potentially rusty Evan Tanner, who is returning after a year out of The Octagon. Tanner was stopped on doctor advice on two of his previous three fights, but the man who initially trained himself in the art of submission usually returns well from his breaks away from the sport.

Chris Leben (17-4-0) v Alessio Sakara (16-6-1)

The rebirth of Alessio Sakara will undergo its first test on Saturday when he fights former Ultimate Fighter rebel Chris Leben.

Sakara has dropped down to middleweight after knocking out James Lee inside 90 seconds at UFC 80. Sakara’s record is unimpressive in UFC with three wins and three defeats, but he now trains with the highly-regarded American Top Team, who specialise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The trademark flame-haired head of Chris Leben always signifies trouble though, even if it’s just because he is putting his fist through a window. A 7-3 record in UFC shows he wins more often than not, including a rapid knock-out of Jorge Rivera, and this bout will not be found wanting when it comes to action or intensity.

Jon Fitch (20-2-1) v Chris Wilson (11-3-1)

Jon Fitch’s understated rise through the welterweight ranks will continue when he takes on replacement fighter Chris Wilson.

Fitch has glided under the radar in amassing a 7-0 UFC record, defeating Josh Burkman and Diego Sanchez along the way. It took Fitch three victories before he had a fight broadcast in The UFC, and it seems he will have to work hard to leap into title contention too.

Akihiro Gono was supposed to be the Indianapolis fighter’s next bout, but a hand injury means Wilson steps in.