UFC 99: The Faded Legend Edition
Published by Jim Genia on June 11th, 2009 in Current Events

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Mention the names Wanderlei Silva, Caol Uno and Mirko CroCop to any longtime MMA fan and odds are words like “hero”, “stud” and “legend” will be uttered in response. But those words nowadays are tempered with phrases like “too old”, “past his prime” and “Jesus, that guy hasn’t looked good in years” – harsh but apt qualifiers for a trio of warriors whose best days seem to be disappearing in the rearview mirror. So it is that, when UFC 99 airs this Saturday from Cologne, Germany, and Silva, Uno and CroCop enter the cage for their respective bouts on the organization’s first show on mainland Europe, the event dubbed “The Comeback” could really be called “The Faded Legend Edition”.

In six trips into the Octagon, including three back when SEG owned the UFC, the man known as “The Axe Murderer” has only won twice. But Silva’s ferocity and skill are the stuff of nightmares, and his career as Pride FC’s resident executioner has made him a perpetual fan favorite despite whatever effect time has had in dulling his keen edge. At UFC 99 Silva will face former middleweight champ Rich Franklin at a catch-weight of 195 – the first stop on the Brazilian’s trip toward the lower weight class and his first fight back since a brutal KO-loss at the hands of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. How significant is this pairing? In terms title implications, not very, especially considering that Franklin’s new home is among the light-heavyweights. But Silva’s ability to play the role of exciting and viable headliner is significant, and win or lose (and especially lose), his remaining status as a fighter worth tuning in for will be scrutinized. Expect him to either put Franklin away early via raw aggression or fall to Franklin’s crisper boxing in later rounds.

When Japanese superstar Uno last stepped into the Octagon the year was 2003. He lost to Hermes Franca then, in spectacular highlight-reel fashion, but up to that point he was a staple in the anemic lightweight division, a flash of Shooto-champ legitimacy in a weight class he couldn’t quite dominate. In the years following he never strayed from his homeland, competing in HEROs and DREAM and losing only to the best (Shinya Aoki, Gesias Calvancanti, “Kid” Yamamoto). Like Silva, Uno’s luster has faded, but he is no less a legend and no less a master grappler capable of going to war with anyone. For the UFC’s first Germany show Uno will face Midwest banger Spencer Fisher. There are no title implications in this bout. It will simply be one old scrapper taking on another. Look for Uno to out-point Fisher (who is allegedly nursing injuries) to muster a decision win.

Few additions to the UFC roster were as big a letdown as CroCop’s, who in 2007 saw his reputation as one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world fizzle out in three dismal trips to the Octagon. Prior to that the Croation kickboxer-turned-Pride champ was a marvel of high-kick accuracy and power, a surefire dispatcher of the unworthy and the definition of knockout artist. Will UFC 99 see the return of the CroCop of old? As his opponent is Mustapha Al-Turk, a less accomplished, less skilled veteran of the UK fight circuit, it is possible (and likely) CroCop’s mystique will get a much-needed boost. Count on him to put Al-Turk away abruptly and violently.

Rounding out the main card are up-and-comers whose presence prevents UFC 99 from venturing too far into the realm of irrelevancy. TUF 1 veteran and proven commodity Mike Swick is set to clash with TUF 6 contestant Ben Saunders in what should be a fairly simple exercise in fist-meets-face for the superior Swick. UK poster boy number two Dan Hardy (Michael Bisping is poster boy number one) will mix it up with perpetual journeyman Marcus Davis in a bout that will likely result in Davis lying on his back, staring at the ceiling and watching in wonderment the little birdies circling above his head. And in the most relevant bout of the evening, ham-fisted heavyweight Cain Velasquez gets his first real test in the cage when he squares off against contender Cheick Kongo – a match-up that should have a legitimate impact on the weight class.

Germany is, of course, untested waters, and what better way for the UFC to make a splash than to stock their UFC 99 card with known quantities? But when the dust settles on the Comeback, and the wins and losses of Silva, Uno and CroCop are tallied and examined in context, it’s likely few will use words like “elite” or “contender” when describing them. One word you can count on, however, will be “legend”.