Watch UFC 99 RESULTS: Rich Franklin edges Wanderlei Silva, Cain Velazuqez dominates Cheick Kongo. After bouncing between two weight classes, Rich Franklin found success in the middle and defeated Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision in the main event of Saturday's "UFC 99: The Comeback" event.
The fight, held at a catch-weight of 195 pounds, headlined the UFC's first ever event in Germany.
The 12-fight event, which aired live mid-afternoon on pay-per-view in the U.S., took place at Cologne's Lanxess Arena.
In addition to Franklin's much-needed victory, the event, which faced obstacles ranging from local media criticism to a ban on minors attending the show, produced legit contenders in the lightweight, welterweight and heavyweight divisions.
No bout, though, garnered more attention than the Franklin vs. Silva matchup. With little impact on any title picture, the catch-weight fight was simply a matter of the UFC taking two marketable fighters and providing fans an intriguing match-up.
However, in their own minds, each fighter saw the bout as a must-win.
The fight, held at a catch-weight of 195 pounds, headlined the UFC's first ever event in Germany.
The 12-fight event, which aired live mid-afternoon on pay-per-view in the U.S., took place at Cologne's Lanxess Arena.
In addition to Franklin's much-needed victory, the event, which faced obstacles ranging from local media criticism to a ban on minors attending the show, produced legit contenders in the lightweight, welterweight and heavyweight divisions.
No bout, though, garnered more attention than the Franklin vs. Silva matchup. With little impact on any title picture, the catch-weight fight was simply a matter of the UFC taking two marketable fighters and providing fans an intriguing match-up.
However, in their own minds, each fighter saw the bout as a must-win.
For Franklin, fresh off a split-decision loss to Dan Henderson in January, he wanted to avoid the first back-to-back losses of his career before returning to the 205-pound division in victorious fashion. For Silva, it was a chance to start fresh with a move to the middleweight division after going 1-4 in his past five fights.Both fighters started the main event patiently and tentatively, an uncharacteristic style for the hard-hitting and aggressive Silva. Franklin got the better of the stand-up before Silva blocked a body kick and forced his opponent to the mat. Franklin, though, dodged most of the damage and powered his way back to his feet. A late-round takedown of his own and some punches from guard earned Franklin the first round.
The second started much like the first round, though Franklin's confidence seemed to intensify as Silva's pace started to slow. Franklin's effective footwork kept his opponent's dangerous striking at bay and allowed him to briefly drop a tiring Silva with a stiff jab to the chin. Silva, though, buckled Franklin moments later with a big right. Silva closed the distance and unloaded, connecting on a slew of punches. However, a near-Hail-Mary head kick from Franklin staggered Silva toward the end of the second round, but it wasn't enough to sway the judges, and Silva tied it up, one round each.
In the third and deciding round, Franklin appeared the fresher fighter and again used his footwork to hit and elude before Silva could counter. A low blow to the groin briefly halted the bout, but Silva quickly shook it off and wanted to restart the action. Silva went on the offensive, though a seemingly better-conditioned Franklin appeared to get the edge in the striking department. A late-fight takedown likely secured the round, and the bout, for Franklin.
Moments later, the judges concurred and awarded Franklin the unanimous-decision victory with 29-28 scores on all three scorecards.
"He's a true warrior," Franklin said. "(He's) someone I looked up to before I even started fighting."
Franklin, who moved to 205 pounds last year after losing his title and a subsequent rematch to Anderson Silva, admitted the 195-pound catch-weight was a nice fit.
"Cutting weight wasn't overbearing," he said. "If there were a 195-pound weight class, that would be perfect. Until then, I'll continue competing at 205."
In the night's co-main event, Cheick Kongo was again victimized by his own horrendous ground game.
Granted, he was facing a top-level wrestler and former Arizona State All-American wrestler in undefeated opponent Cain Velasquez, but the American Kickboxing Academy heavyweight took Kongo down with such frequency and ease that it bordered on bizarre.
Velasquez's first takedown, secured in the opening seconds of the fight, actually cost Kongo a win. The French fighter blasted and buckled the legs of his opponent, but Velasquez quickly shot and took down Kongo to regain his composure. A dominant first round, highlighted by a brutal and constant ground-and-pound assault, followed and clearly earned Velasquez the round.
The second round was a nearly identical to the first. Kongo staggered his opponent with an overhand right in the early part of the round, but Velasquez forced the fight to the ground and pounded his way to another dominant frame. The third round was much the same, though Kongo briefly got to his feet and delivered some punishment midway through. Velasquez, though, again took the fight to the mat, took dominant ground positions and battered Kongo into a bloody mess before the final horn sounded.
Ultimately, all three judges scored the fight in Velasquez's favor for the unanimous-decision victory via scores of 30-27.
Velasquez (6-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who went to a decision for the first time in his career, wasn't happy to end his streak of five consecutive TKO victories.
"It wasn't good enough for me, and it wasn't good enough for my coaches," he said.
Kongo (14-5-1), meanwhile, snaps a three-fight win streak and might have cost himself a title shot with the winner of UFC 100's title-unification bout between champ Brock Lesnar and interim title-holder Frank Mir. Kongo's previous two UFC losses came split decision, but all three defeats have highlighted the gaping holes in his ground game.
A late addition to the UFC 99 card, heavyweight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, who left the UFC in 2007 after a lackluster 1-2 stint, returned in successful fashion with a first-round TKO victory over Mustapha Al-Turk.
Filipovic had obvious confidence in a previously troublesome knee that was operated upon in mid-January. He used his legs as a base to fend off Al-Turk's takedown attempts before he unloaded a barrage that dropped Al-Turk. Filipovic briefly followed him to the mat, but when it was apparent Al-Turk wasn't done, he allowed him to stand.
Unfortunately, the first big blow after the restart was a deep poke into Al-Turk's unprotected eye. The Cage Rage vet was forced to cover up. Filipovic used the opportunity to connect on additional blows as the referee was unaware of the injury. Instead, he stepped in moments later for the TKO stoppage when Al-Turk hit the mat due to the punches.
It was a dominating performance for Filipovic, though it ended on an obvious sour note.
"I am satisfied with my performance," said Filipovic, who agreed to a rare one-fight deal to return for UFC 99. "I think it was on a better level than my last time in the UFC."
Filipovic said he was unaware of the eyepoke but apologized when told by broadcaster Joe Rogan afterward.
But, "I don't think it would have made a difference," he said.
Filipovic (25-6-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has now won three consecutive fights (with one no-contest) and will likely earn another fight in the UFC. Al Turk, meanwhile, drops to 6-5, including 0-2 in the UFC, and will likely earn his walking papers from the organization.
A welterweight bout between hard-hitting and accurate strikers Mike Swick and Ben Saunders was tapped the early favorite for Fight of the Night honors. Instead, it ended with a Knockout of the Night award candidate.
The fight got off to an entertaining start after Swick scored an early takedown. Saunders secured guard and then pulled Swick close to his body to negate any damage.
"You gonna hold me all night?" Swick was heard asking on the pay-per-view broadcast.
"Then stand up, bitch," Saunders quickly retorted.
Unfortunately for Saunders, he soon got what he asked for.
Swick, a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 1" who won his first four UFC fights via swift first-round stoppages, continually proved the quicker fighter. He allowed Saunders to unleash only a few of his trademark knee strikes from the clinch, which he used to dominate Brandon Wolff in December with a brutal TKO.
Instead, midway through the second round, Swick tagged Saunders with a right hand to the temple. Saunders briefly staggered, and Swick quickly closed the distance and unloaded a lightning-quick barrage of shots while standing and once Saunders hit the mat. The TKO stoppage came moments later at the 3:47 mark.
"He's tough," Swick said. "I had to hit him quite a few times."
Swick (14-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who's now 4-0 since dropping from middleweight to welterweight, said he's ready to contend with the 170-pound division's elite. He specifically mentioned the likes of current champ Georges St. Pierre, top contender Thiago Alves and former title-holder Matt Hughes.
"This is my 10th fight in the UFC," Swick said. "I'm 9-1 and want a title shot. I want to fight the top guys."
After three consecutive wins to launch his UFC career, Saunders (7-1-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has now tasted defeat for the first time in his career.
A fight between Spencer Fisher and the returning Caol Uno appeared a hidden gym on UFC 99's main card. But to many of the booing fans in attendance, the lightweight bout failed to deliver.
The fighters were only partially to blame, though. Lulls in action were more the result of the competitors' evenly matched skills and not caused by either fighter being unwilling to engage. Fisher and Uno kept a steady pace throughout the three-round affair, but they presented headaches for the night's judges, who had to award rounds on the slimmest of margins.
After two extremely close two rounds, Uno, a former top lightweight contender who returned to the UFC for the first time since 2003, closed out the final round with an effective ground-and-pound assault. However, it wasn't enough to steal the round or the fight.
In the end, all three judges awarded Fisher (23-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) the decision victory with 29-28 scores. "The King" has now won three consecutive fights and six of his past eight, all in the UFC.
Uno (25-12-4 MMA, 3-4-1 UFC), a recent DREAM competitor, has now dropped three of his past four fights, though all the losses have come via decision.
In the night's first televised bout and a heavily hyped grudge match, welterweights Dan Hardy and Marcus Davis finally settled their long-brewing feud.
The troubles began even before the two fighters were slated to fight at UFC 99. Hardy, a British fighter, accused Davis, nicknamed "The Irish Hand Grenade," of being a "fake Irishman" who had no business pretending he's anything but American. The war of words raged on Internet forums, pre-fight interviews and even the UFC 99 media conference call earlier this week.
Kicking off the main card, Davis took the early lead with a solid first round marked with a good dose of ground and pound after a trip takedown. Hardy, though, rebounded in the second and dropped Davis with a knee from the clinch while successfully dodging submission attempts. In the pivotal third round, Hardy secured a takedown that forced a brief stoppage (doctor's check) when he diced open the bridge of Davis' nose.
The combination of the bloody elbow strike, Davis wobbling as he got back to his feet and additional blows from the U.K. fighter ultimately earned Hardy the split-decision victory. MMAjunkie.com scored a close fight in Hardy's favor, 29-28, and two judges agreed.
Hardy (22-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) earned the decision win with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-29 to move to 3-0 in the UFC with his biggest win to date. Davis (16-5 MMA, 8-3) is now 2-2 in his past four fights since posting a career-high 11-fight win streak from April 2006 to Janury 2008.
"I won the fight," Davis said. "I won 12 minutes of the fight, and they gave it to him? You bet I want a rematch. Right away."
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Terry Etim def. Justin Buchholz via submission (D'arce choke) - Round 2, 2:38
- Denis Siver def. Dale Hartt via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:23
- Paul Taylor def. Peter Sobotta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Paul Kelly def. Roli Delgado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Stefan Struve def. Denis Stojnic via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 2:37
- John Hathaway def. Rick Story via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Rich Franklin def. Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cain Velasquez def. Cheick Kongo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic def. Mustapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:47
- Mike Swick def. Ben Saunders via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:47
- Spencer Fisher def. Caol Uno via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dan Hardy def. Marcus Davis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Terry Etim def. Justin Buchholz via submission (D'arce choke) - Round 2, 2:38
- Denis Siver def. Dale Hartt via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:23
- Paul Taylor def. Peter Sobotta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Paul Kelly def. Roli Delgado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Stefan Struve def. Denis Stojnic via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 2:37
- John Hathaway def. Rick Story via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
