UFC 99: The Comeback - Preview and Predictions

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will present UFC 99: The Comeback, on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany at the Lanxess Arena. This will be the first UFC event to ever be held in Germany. The main card will consist of five or six matches. Most of the card has been already announced.

A bout between Mostapha Al-turk vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic has not been officially announced but has been confirmed by UFC President Dana White. This bout will most likely be on the main card. Filipovic is one of the most dangerous mixed martial artists, and is most famous for his head kicks. Cro Cop has knocked out many people with those famous kicks. Cro Cop has fought in Pride for most of his career and has fought only three times in the UFC and this will be his fourth fight. Cro Cop had a successful first fight at the UFC beating Eddie Sanchez by TKO in the first round. In his second fight, he was favorite to beat Brazilian Gabriel Gonzaga but was knocked out at the end of the first round from a head kick. Cro Cop was knocked out cold for a few minutes and the fight earned Knockout of the Year honors. Cro Cop suffered another setback when he lost a unanimous decision at UFC 75 to Cheick Kongo. Mirko is coming back to the UFC after almost a two-year break. Al-turk is a fighter who is in there to make Cro Cop look good. In Al-turk's most recent fight, he was knocked out in one round by Cheick Kongo at UFC 92. Mirko Cro Cop by TKO in the first round.

The first fight on the main card will feature Spencer "The King" Fisher vs. Caol Uno. Both Fisher and Uno are MMA veterans with 25+ fights each. Fisher is 7-3 in his 10 UFC fights and is coming off wins over Shannon Gugerty and Jeremy Stephens. Uno fought most of his career in K-1 and is fighting in the UFC for the first time since 2003. Uno has eleven losses in his 42 professional fights, while Fisher only has four losses in his 26 professional fights. Spencer Fisher by unanimous decision.

The second fight of the night will be Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy. Davis was a professional boxer who turned mixed martial artist. He was also a contestant on the Ultimate Fighter 2. Davis have a record of 8-1 in the UFC and has looked impressive in the past. Hardy has the more experience and more fights but has only fought in the UFC twice, winning both times. Hardy has power in both hands. This could win the Fight of the Night honors. Dan Hardy by split decision.

The third fight on the card will be Mike "Quick" Swick vs. Ben Saunders. Both Swick and Saunders have appeared on The Ultimate Fighter (Swick appearing in Season 1 and Saunders appearing in Season 6). Swick earned his nickname "Quick" by winning his first two UFC matches in a combined 42 seconds. Swick is 8-1 in 9 UFC fights, including 5 first round KO's. He most recently knocked out Jonathan Goulet in 33 seconds. Saunders is undefeated in 9 MMA fights, including three UFC fights. Saunders has not fought anyone of Swick's caliber yet and that will show. Mike Swick by KO in second round.

The fourth fight of the night will be Cheick Kongo vs. Cain Velasquez. The original plans was to have Heath Herring face off with Cain Velasquez but Herring had an illness and had to pull out. It was announced recently that Kongo would be the replacement. Kongo might be an improvement to the original opponent. Kongo has fought nine times in the UFC and has lost only twice. Kongo has won his last three fights by TKO. Velasquez might be the most inexperienced fighter on the card with only five MMA fights to his name. He is undefeated but largely untested. All five of Velasquez's wins are also by knockout. The match will be very interesting because Velasquez will be tested in this match. Cain Velasquez by unanimous decision.

The main event of the night will put former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich "Ace" Franklin against former Pride Middleweight Champion "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva. This bout will be fought at a catchweight of 195 pounds. Both fighters are coming off losses. Silva has lost two of three in the UFC, while Franklin has lost two of his last four fights in the UFC. Silva is best known for knocking out Quinton "Rampage" Jackson twice. Franklin was the middleweight champion after beating Evan Tanner and held it for two years before losing to Pound for Pound best Anderson Silva at UFC 64 and losing to Silva again in the rematch at UFC 77. Franklin was knocked out by knees both times. Franklin's specialty is stand up and knocks out most of his opponents with strikes and punches. Silva's specialty is strikes and knees. This is a very intriguing match-up because it is a crossroads fight for both competitors. This fight is a toss-up and could go either way. Rich Franklin by split decision.