Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Rich Franklin edged out Wanderlei Silva and Cain Velasquez dominated Cheick Kongo at UFC 99 last Saturday. Also, Mirko Cro Cop defeated Mostapha Al Turk via illegal eye-pokes, then told the UFC to kiss his ass.

- We saw some crazy knockouts this week, including Tim Sylvia getting wrecked by a 50-year old boxer, a brilliant flying knee KO at a Bellator show [http://www.cagepotato.com/knockout-day-nick-pace-wrecks-collin-tebo-bellator-xi], and a 9-second head-kick finish followed by a flying referee tackle.

- Brock Lesnar is built like a black man, still not a fan of the gays.

- Team U.K.’s James Wilks cruised to the welterweight finals on Wednesday’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter, ending a season that didn’t really live up to the hype.

- MMA model Penny Mathis’s breasts may not be real, but they’re still fabulous.

- Shaquille O’Neal is seriously considering a switch to MMA after finishing his basketball career, and wants to start off by beating up the giant Korean who smashed Jose Canseco.

- When Cris Cyborg chokes out a reporter, that’s just her polite way of saying she’s finished with the interview.

- Come back tonight [Saturday] at 9 p.m. ET/PT for our liveblog of the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale show, which will feature Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida, Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson, and the lightweight and welterweight TUF finals. And check out our exclusive interviews with Sanchez, Stevenson, and Chris Lytle.

This weekend marks the return of UFC to pay-per-view as the Ultimate Fighting Championships host UFC 99: The Comeback from the Lanxess Arena in Germany . The live fights start at 3 p.m. ET and will feature six matches on the main card.

Last weekend I had an up-and-down couple of days (2-for-5 on Strikeforce predictions and 4-for-4 on WEC predictions), but I am back to give my take on UFC 99, which is headlined by what should be an exciting fight between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva in a catch-weight bout at 195 pounds.

Catch-weight (195 lbs)- Rich Franklin (24-4) vs. Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1): This fight would have been a blockbuster main event three years ago as the two were both world champions for the UFC and Pride respectively, but now, this shapes up to be more of a “loser leaves town” type of fight. While the loser won’t be gone from the UFC, they will certainly be out of the main event spotlight. Franklin has lost just two of his last six fights, but both come to the top middleweights in the UFC, which has prompted him to move of to light-heavyweight (205 lbs) where he is unbeaten in the UFC. A win for Franklin would further push his light-heavyweight surge and keep him in main event fights for the foreseeable future. For Silva, who has last four of his last five, another loss would leave him without a place to go. He has already been decisively beaten by top light-heavyweights and a loss to Franklin would already put him out of the middleweight picture. Silva will have place in the UFC because of his aggressive fighting style, it just may not be against top-level talent. Silva made a name for himself by taking the action to his opponents and applying pressure, but UFC has evolved more into a sport for counter-punchers, and that is what has been Silva’s kryptonite as of late. I see Franklin landing a solid shot on a Silva counter and putting him to sleep, much like he did Nate Quarry. Silva always leaves himself open and I think Franklin is too skilled to not capitalize. I take Franklin by KO late in round one.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)- Cain Velasquez (5-0) vs. Cheick Kongo (14-4-1): Velasquez is the hottest fighter in the heavyweight division right now for the UFC. Much like Brett Rogers in Strikeforce, Velasquez has been running through his opponents with ease. His ground-and-pound is some of the most vicious in MMA, but like Rogers , his opponents have not been of a high caliber until this fight. Kongo is arguably the next in line to receive a title fight, having won five of his last six, including three-straight by TKO. Despite his hot streak, Kongo has been vulnerable to the takedown, as seen in a decision loss to Heath Herring. I also don’t feel that Kongo has one-punch knockout power. I can see Velasquez getting Kongo down and having his way with him with his ground-and-pound ability. I will take Velasquez by TKO in round three.

Welterweight (170 lbs)- Mike Swick (13-2) vs. Ben Saunders (7-0-2): This is an interesting fight because Swick has the ability to finish quickly and Saunders is a big welterweight, standing 6-foot-2, that likes to utilize his reach and keep smaller fighters at bay. Swick is 3-0 since moving from middleweight to welterweight, but hasn’t been overly impressive, with two decision wins. His last fight was a 33-second knockout of Jonathan Goulet, but Goulet has been susceptible to quick defeats before. Swick does have big-fight experience, which is lacking from Saunders. Saunders is unbeaten and all of his wins are by stoppage except one. I think the key to this fight is in spacing. If Saunders can use his kicks and clinch to keep Swick from getting in too tight, then I think he can win. Swick needs to look to get inside and work his hooks and uppercuts, and also look for takedowns when they open. I think Swick will win this fight based on having fought tougher fighters. I take him by decision.

Welterweight (170 lbs)- Marcus Davis (16-4) vs. Dan Hardy (21-6): This fight has the most bad blood as Hardy has been calling out Davis for months, claiming his appeal to his Irish heritage is just an “act”. The native of England is relatively new to the UFC scene and looking to get a win over an established name to earn himself a reliable spot with the MMA king. Hardy has won nine of his last ten, eight by stoppage. Davis, who has been on almost every international UFC card over the last three years, was on an 11-fight win streak before losing a decision to Mike Swick a year ago. Since the loss, Davis has won two-straight but has not quite had the explosion that we have seen in the past. The key in this fight will be which fighter loses control of his emotions first. I think Hardy will be that one, as he seems to like to appeal to the crowd more than fight at times. I think Davis will remain poised and land the big punch that will set up the end of the fight. I take Davis by TKO in round two.

Lightweight (155 lbs)- Spencer Fisher (22-4) vs. Caol Uno (25-11-4): Uno is returning to the UFC for his first fight since September of 2003. The streaky fighter was once a contender for the UFC lightweight title, but is now looking to reestablish himself as one of the world’s best. Fisher, a fan favorite for his aggressive style, is a well-rounded fighter that has won his last two fights and looking to break in to the top 10 in the lightweight division with a win over Uno. I don’t see a place in this fight where Fisher doesn’t have an advantage, and expect him to win by TKO in round two or by decision. I just think Uno is past his prime and not going to be able to hang with Fisher for three rounds.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)- Mirko CroCop (24-6-2) vs. Mustapha Al Turk (6-4): CroCop jumped at the chance to comeback to the UFC after an injury opened a spot to face Al Turk. CroCop failed miserably in his first UFC run, losing two-of-three, but has since rebounded with a pair of wins. He has expressed his desire to make a run at the UFC belt and his first test is Al Turk, who lost his only UFC fight, to Cheick Kongo, in December. I expect CroCop to be on his game and that means a bad night for Al Turk, who I think falls to 0-2 in the UFC. I take CroCop by stoppage from leg kicks in round two.

–Written by TSR MMA contributor Drew Ellis

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Jake Shields choked out Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz dominated Scott Smith, and Brett Rogers scored a 22-second KO over Andrei Arlovski at the Strikeforce show last Saturday. Afterwards, Rogers shared his feelings about Kimbo Slice and Nick Diaz humiliated a reporter.

- A day later, the WEC one-upped Strikeforce by putting on one of the greatest cards of the year, highlighted by Mike Brown’s five-round war with Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo’s latest highlight-reel finish, and possibly the last appearance of Jens Pulver. If only the fighters got paid what they’re worth…

- Team U.K. swept the lightweight bracket on Wednesday’s episode of the Ultimate Fighter; Andre Winner and Ross Pearson will throw down at next Saturday’s finale show on Spike.

- The upcoming title fight between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will be contested at 145 pounds. Cross your fingers.

- EA is prepping its own MMA video game to compete with “UFC Undisputed.” Can they succeed without the involvement of MMA’s most powerful brand?

- We looked back at MMA’s first superstars.

- Wanderlei Silva explained to us how life was like a bicycle.

- UFC 99 goes down today [Saturday] in Cologne, Germany, starting at 3 p.m. ET. Swing by CagePotato.com for our liveblog, and get familiar with some of the storylines here.

Rich Franklin
Nickname: “Ace”
Height: 6’ 1”
Weight: 185/205
MMA Record: 24-4-1
UFC Record: 11-3
Fighting Style: Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Freestyle

Rich “Ace” Franklin hails from Cincinnati, Ohio where he was a math teacher before taking up MMA. He began his training in a shed with friends with the use of instructional videotapes. He would later join Jorge Gurgel – a black belt in BJJ – and trained under Neal Rowe for kickboxing. He has since earned a brown belt under Gurgel and continues to improve his wrestling and striking in Ohio.

Franklin got his nickname from Jim Carry’s “Ace Ventura”, which Rich resembles strongly. He is good friends with Tim “the Maniac” Silvia, who was shown crying after Franklin was beaten badly in his first bought with Anderson Silva. He would get a rematch, but suffered a similar fate in the cage.

He has fought at 205 and 185 in the UFC, appearing leaner and quicker at middleweight (185). He holds notable wins over Ken Shamrock, Evan Tanner, and a huge stunning knockout over Nate Quarry. He had run through most of the UFC’s 185lbs division until losing to Anderson Silva. Franklin had recently been on a two-fight win streak before Dan Henderson defeated him. He is set to face Wanderlei Silva at UFC 99.