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.
