UFC 99: The Comeback Preview

The UFC will travel to Germany for the first time this Saturday night as UFC 99: The Comeback takes place in Cologne, Germany.

For a fight card that started off appearing rather weak, the lineup now is full of good, exciting matchups.

Main Card

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

When the matchup between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva was announced, I had to sit back and scratch my head a bit.

I didn’t, and still don’t, see what the UFC is trying to accomplish with this matchup—but the more I look at it, the more excited I am to see this fight.

After losing four of his last five fights, Wanderlei Silva made the decision to drop down to the middleweight division and try his luck at 185 lbs. Rich Franklin, on the other hand, is now testing his luck in the light heavyweight division after his inability to compete with Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown. The two fighters will now meet in the middle at a catchweight of 195 lbs. for this fight.

Wanderlei Silva clearly doesn’t strike the same fear in his opponent’s hearts like he did in years past, and the former champ has taken his share of KO losses in the past few years. Wandi’s strengths remain his aggressive style and superior clinch game. While Silva is highly trained in grappling, he very rarely will take the fight to the ground.

Defending against a strong clinch game is obviously something that Rich Franklin has had issues with in the past. Franklin needs to use his quickness and kicking game to avoid Wandi’s clinch. Franklin is strong enough to not be overpowered by Wandi and should the fight hit the ground, I think Rich probably has the edge in pure wrestling.

Where this fight will be won or lost for both fighters is on the feet. If Rich can avoid getting clipped by any of Silva’s wide, looping power strikes, he should be able to win this fight.

A strong kicking game to keep Wandi off-balance will go a long way for Franklin. Wandi needs to make this fight one of his signature “brawl” style fights and just look to put that old-style “Axe-Murderer” pressure on Franklin.

Winner: Rich Franklin

Cheick Kongo vs. Cain Velasquez – For all the victories he’s had in the UFC, Cheick Kongo continues to be a gate-keeper type fighter in the heavyweight division.

Cain Velasquez is the new “hot thing” (along with Shane Carwin) in the UFC’s heavyweight division, and this fight will be one of those “put him over” fights. If Velasquez can dispatch Kongo with the easy and power he has used against his first five opponents, then Cain can expect to start receiving some serious hype and backing by the UFC brass. Should Kongo come out on top, I don’t think he is placed anywhere closer to his desire for a title shot.

Kongo needs to use it reach advantage and kicking game in this fight to keep Velasquez at a distance. If Cain is allowed to get in close and throw his heavy strikes, Kongo could be in trouble.

I see this fight going the full three rounds, as Kongo is a tough opponent to finish.  But in the end, I think Velasquez lands more power shots and out-points the Frenchman on way to another victory.

Winner: Cain Velasquez

Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders

While Ben Saunders had a brilliant Muay-Thai clinch victory over Brandon Wolff last December, I’m not quite sure why he is being matched up with Mike Swick in this fight. In my book, Saunders still has a ways to go before he fights a guy like Swick, as I think Swick easily outclasses Saunders in all aspects on the match.

Mike Swick’s hand-speed and power will be quicker than Saunders. Swick should be stronger than Saunders, now that he has a few attempts at the 170-lb. weight-cut under his belt.

While you can never count any fighter out of a matchup, I don’t see many ways for Saunders to win this fight, and I look for Swick to end the fight sometime in the first or second round.

Winner: Mike Swick

Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy

For all the trash-talking these two fighters have been doing back and forth, I think that the actual fight might be a bit of a let-down. One would expect both guys to stand and trade strikes for the whole fight as both Hardy and Davis are known for their punching power.

However, if you look back over Marcus Davis’ career, he has won nearly twice as many fights by submission than he has by knockout, and I think that will be the surprise of this match. I look for both fighters to stand and trade blows to open the match, but I anticipate Davis trying to use more of a ground and pound style in this fight with hopes of securing a submission.

Now, on the other hand, if both fighters do decide to stand and duke it out for a full three rounds, we could see some fireworks—and it's really anyone’s guess as to who catches whom first.

Winner: Marcus Davis

Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno

Caol Uno is an MMA veteran and will be returning to the UFC for the first time in nearly seven years. While Uno has recently enjoyed a bit of resurgence in his MMA career, I think that Spencer Fisher will bring too much to the table for the crafty veteran.

For Uno to be successful, he needs to avoid the striking power of Fisher at all costs and work as hard as possible at getting the fight to the mat. Uno’s strength against Fisher will lie in his grappling skills, and he needs to do everything possible to secure a submission early on in the fight.

Spencer Fisher has never lost via submission in his 26-fight career and has been known to win via submission himself. I think Fisher has too much power in the striking game and will be physically stronger than Uno when the fight hits the mat. If Fisher can stay composed as he often does and work to overpower the smaller Uno on the ground, he should be able to win this fight via TKO or decision.

Winner: Spencer Fisher

Mirko Filipovic vs. Mustapha al Turk

While all things are setup for Mirko “Cro Cop” to make a triumphant return to the UFC, I don’t necessarily think the going will be that easy. Cro Cop is coming off another knee injury that required surgery and will be back in action for the first time in six months.

While Al Turk isn’t the most formidable opponent, any opponent could be trouble for Mirko should he not show up in top shape with crisp striking. If Al Turk is smart he will bully Mirko up against the cage where the Croatian is uncomfortable and use the ground as much as possible. While Mirko has the tools needed to win this fight easily, he needs to prove he is back to performing at a high level before I can throw any faith at him.

Winner: Mustapha al Turk

Undercard

Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz – Winner: Justin Buchholz
Dennis Siver vs. Dale Hartt – Winner: Dennis Siver
Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta – Winner: Peter Sobotta
Paul Kelly vs. Rolando Delgado – Winner: Paul Kelly
Denis Stojnic vs. Stefan Struve – Winner: Denis Stojnic
John Hathaway vs. Rick Story – Winner: John Hathaway