UFC 99 Winners and Losers

What’s going on MMA Junkies! Last night was a great display of some kick ass MMA and like I said Rich Franklin was due to put out a beat down.

Mike Swick always a winner of his fight last night has been handing out some beat downs himself.  Winning 9 out of 10 fights in the UFC.  He says he is ready to fight a big name fighter in UFC, like Matt Hughes or the loser of Georges St. Pierre-Thiago Alves.  Dana White, President of the UFC believes Swick is ready for a big fight also.  Keep an eye out for Mike Swick….oh and he won “knock out of the night” honors.

Rich Franklin defeats Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer”  Silva

Cain Velasquez defeats Cheick Congo

Filipovic defeats al-Turk

Mike Swick defeats Ben Saunders

Other Results:

• Dan Hardy def. Marcus Davis via unanimous decision
• John Hathaway def. Rick Story via unanimous decision
• Stefan Struve def. Denis Stojnic via 2nd-round rear-naked choke
• Paul Kelly def. Roli Delgado via unanimous decision
• Paul Taylor def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision
• Denis Siver def. Dale Hartt via 1st-round rear-naked choke
• Terry Etim def. Justin Buchholz via 2nd-round D’arce choke

Below is a pick of Cain Velasquez…

Martin McNeil For ESPN.com

Cain Velasquez, center, emerged the biggest winner of the night after upending Cheick Kongo.

COLOGNE, Germany — UFC 99 showed that Wanderlei Silva can still put on a show. At age 33, however, he’s struggling to translate that skill into wins.

In other words, his bout with Rich Franklin shed no new light on The Axe Murderer.

The UFC’s first foray into Germany was good to Franklin and Mike Swick. It also appeared to mark a sudden, bitter end to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s return to the UFC.

But the big spotlight in Germany was on Cain Velasquez, who is beginning to loom large on the heavyweight scene.

Velasquez (6-0) survived vicious power shots from Cheick Kongo, rallying to take down the big Frenchman at will and punish him on the ground. A battered Kongo just made it to the final bell — and took his time getting up when the fight was over.

The only person Velasquez was harder on than Kongo was himself.

“You know what? He’s a tough guy,” said Velasquez, a former All-American wrestler. “It just shows that I need a lot more experience. I need to get a lot better on my feet. I wasn’t too happy with my performance. That was all heart out there, Mexican heart.”

Velasquez is still raw, but he is big, strong and resilient. And he has an engine that won’t quit.

“I was blown away by his fight tonight,” UFC president

Dana White said. “The first time we saw this kid fight, we knew he was special. He took some big shots tonight from a big guy who hits hard. He took ‘em, kept coming. This kid’s The Terminator, man. He really is. I’m impressed with him, and I expect big things from Cain Velasquez.”

His teammate at American Kickboxing Academy echoed White’s thoughts. “I can see him with the belt. There’s no doubt in my mind, for sure,” Swick said.

Velasquez, a man of few words, played down such hype.

“My job is to train hard and win impressively. I don’t listen to that stuff,” he said.

Franklin back in the fold

UFC 99 was a return to the fast lane for Franklin, who used a smart game plan to elude Silva’s power. Franklin kept on the move, paying for it only when he stopped in the second rou

nd of the bout fought at a catchweight of 195 pounds.

“I actually got caught behind the ear. Everything faded to black for a second, but fortunately, I was able to recover,” he said.

Franklin, 34, reiterated his desire to continue in the light heavyweight ranks. White, who surely owes him after Franklin’s moves up and down the weight classes, agreed.

“We want Rich to stay at 205 pounds and make a run at the title,” White said. “I think his next fight is going to be against one of the top guys at 205 pounds.”

As for Silva, he still has power but seems predictable. He has lost three of four in the UFC and five of his past six overall.
[+] EnlargeWanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin
AP Photo/Hermann J. KnippertzWin or lose, Wanderlei Silva always satisfies his fans. Saturday was no exception.

The iconic Brazilian has not lost fans, however. He drew a huge roar from the crowd of 12,854 at the Lanxess Arena as he walked into the hall and later when he threw his hands in the air during the third round, demanding the fans make noise.

Two judges scored a shutout for Franklin, while the third gave the first round to Silva.

Although Silva said he didn’t know about the future, he talked of a rematch with Franklin and fighting again.

“My fans are the reason I fight because I love this emotion,” Silva said. “The emotion inside the Octagon is unbelievable. I love this, I love to shake the emotion of my fans.

“Maybe the next time, I’m going to win.”

White said the UFC would talk to Silva after the fight to discuss his future.

“He’s become a big part of our team. We care about this guy. He’s around [Las Vegas] all the time, works out in the gym. We’d love to keep him around no matter what he decides to do.”

Franklin, for one, says Silva has the power to do damage in the 185-pound division.

“He’s dangerous, he’s got knockout power for a 205-pound fighter, so when he hits that weight class, it’s going to be that much worse,” Franklin said.

Swick won “knockout of the night” honors in stopping Ben Saunders. It was his ninth win in 10 UFC fights, and after disposing of Jonathan Goulet and Saunders, he said it’s time for him to face a big-name opponent.

“I’ve taken two fights with really tough opponents that weren’t highly ranked and had a lot more to lose than gain,” Swick said. “Now I want to be in a position where I have something to gain.”

A title shot would be at the top of his wish list, he said. If not, he suggested Matt Hughes or the loser of Georges St. Pierre-Thiago Alves.

“I don’t disagree. Swick’s ready for a big fight,” White said.

White and Filipovic left UFC 99 literally in different directions after the Croatian defeated Mustapha al Turk via second-round TKO — a win spoiled somewhat by the fact that the big Brit took a finger in the eye and did not fight back as Filipovic put him away.

After the fight, White learned that the Croatian had signed a deal with MMA organization Dream in Japan.

White said the Croatian star had promised him a three-fight deal — UFC 99 plus two more — and had “hand-picked” his opponent in Germany, turning down “every other” fighter, including

Velasquez.

“He didn’t keep his word, talked about honor,” White said. “He didn’t just poke Al Turk, he poked me, too.”

Tagged with: 9 Out Of 10 • Axe Murderer • Beat Downs • Bitter End • Cheick Congo • Cheick Kongo • Cologne Germany • Dana White • Espn • Filipovic • Final Bell • Foray • Georges St Pierre • Heavyweight Scene • John Hathaway • Junkies • Marcus Davis • Matt Hughes • Mcneil • Mike Swick • Rich Franklin • Sobotta • Terry Etim • Thiago Alves • Tough Guy • Ufc • Winners And Losers

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