A couple months ago, UFC 99 was just another card on our way to the blockbuster holiday blowout that is UFC 100. (What is up with America’s obsession with round numbers? And why don’t they just make all the numbers out of the black box?) Now, less than 24-hours from the opening bell UFC 99 is a powder keg. Thanks to a surprising alliance, some escalating trash talk, the return of a dangerous man and some immediate title fight implications, “The Comeback” looks awesome.

*record scratch*

I’ve been looking at the entire card from top-to-bottom at my new MMA blog – Blood, Booze and Bruises – all week.

*Back to your regularly schedule blogramming*

I’m glad this card will be broadcast live on PPV at 3pm Eastern. The UFC is in Germany this weekend despite some roadblocks.

The headlining bout is a Catchweight contest (195lbs) between former Middleweight champion Rich Franklin and possible Middleweight title contender, Wanderlei Silva. This match up was just another fight between a former Pride and former UFC champ. Then it came out that Wanderlei Silva was considering dropping all the way down to 185 to fight Anderson Silva for the middleweight championship. This upset Anderson and he offered to show Rich Franklin how to beat Wanderlei. If Wanderlei gets past Franklin, he’ll get a shot as soon as both Silva’s are healthy.

Easier said than done. Wanderlei Silva has lost 4 of his last 5 fights, including 2 of his first 3 fights in the UFC. Sure his losses have come against huge names (Rampage, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell and Cro Cop), but a beating is a beating. On top of that, he’s fighting Rich Franklin. The only people to ever beat Rich Franklin are Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson (in his last fight). These guys constantly fight the best in the world. It should make for a good fight – that I think Franklin takes by decision.

As Joe Rogan will tell you Saturday, Cheick Kongo is better every time we see him. He’s ended his last three fights in impressive fashion and is on the short list to fight the Lesnar-Mir victor. (I say there’s no question. The winner of this fight headlines a winter card for a title.) Kongo’s foe will be Cain Velasquez who is the next big thing in the heavyweight division. With a 5-0 professional record, Velasquez has only had his stamina tested once in his career when Denis Stojnic took him all the way to the second round before the fight was stopped. Velasquez has ended each of his 5 fights due to punches. It should be interesting to see what Kongo (Who just fought in April!) has prepared for him. I see Kongo dealing Velasquez his first set back by strikes in – what else? – the first round.

Despite the title implications involved in both fights with faces on the posters, the fight with the most juice has to be Marcus Davis versus Dan Hardy. This fight is a real USA-UK rivalry that sprung up from… seemingly nowhere. Trash talk has escalated and now they both hate each other. Davis has made his name by kicking the asses of Brits on European UFC cards and Hardy has taken it personally. I predict Davis punching Hardy’s red Mohawk into his skull sometime during the second round. Good times had by all.

Here’s the rest of the card with links to my very-short “previews” on Blood, Booze and Bruises:

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-televised)