UFC 99 is finally here (well, it will be tomorrow) and the main event of Rich Franklin taking on Wanderlei Silva is a very interesting one. Is it worthy of the headline status? For a show overseas, probably. For a fan to shell out the same cash they will for UFC 100? Probably not.

Whether you watch it at 3 p.m. live or at 10 p.m. on tape delay, it should be an entertaining card. Silva and Franklin both like to stand and bang, and both guys need a win. Silva is trying to make a case for a title shot against Anderson Silva for his middleweight tile. Franklin is trying to gain legitimacy in the scene at 205 pounds. Both guys have gone too long without a defining win. Franklin is the Vegas favorite (-160) and Silva is the pros favorite (according to sherdog.com) and it’s a tough one to call. I think Franklin will get the win with a third-round TKO, but very little (other than a submission or a boring fight, maybe) in this one will surprise me.

The fight between Cain Velasquez and Cheick Kongo should be intriguing as well. Velasquez is an impressive heavyweight prospect, but Kongo seems in line for a title shot after Brock Lesnar faces Frank Mir. While the heavyweight scene in the UFC doesn’t look as bland as it used to, there still isn’t a ton there and Velasquez moves much closer to a title shot with a win. One would have to think Kongo is officially next in line with one. I know Kongo was a late addition to this fight but I’m not ready to jump on the Velasquez bandwagon just yet.

And, for those of you interested in the past, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is on the card. His bout with Mustapha Al-Turk will be interesting because Filipovic will kick Al-Turk in the head and Al-Turk will lose consciousness. This will cause everyone to rave about how the old Cro Cop is back and is going to set the UFC heavyweight division on fire. Then he’ll go on to lose to Gabriel Gonzaga again or to the loser of the Randy Couture vs. Minotauro Nogueira matchup. It will be cool to see the highlight knockout, but I’m not holding out hope for the old "Cro Cop" to return to the MMA scene.

I’m also pumped for the Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders fight. I saw both of these guys at UFC’s Fight for the Troops and Swick seems like the real deal. He should win this bout but both of these guys are talented fighters. This should be a fun one to watch.

The Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy matchup is intriguing because of the amount of trash talk going on between the two. Davis is a fun guy to watch and he’ll probably add another knockout to his highlight reel in this one.

When all is said and done, this could end up being a really underrated card. It's definitely worth checking out. If I was a betting man, I’d be throwing my money behind Franklin, Kongo, Davis, Swick and "Cro Cop" (in the mentioned fights).

A few quick links

Thefukerton.com has a couple links to check out. They caught up with the TapouT crew and will have the UFC 99 weigh-in streaming live at 10 a.m. EST.

ESPN.com has five things to watch for at UFC 99

Foxsports has an interesting read on the tough reception the UFC is getting in Germany.

It's amazing to see some of the reactions from opponents. Banning minors from attending the event is just excessive. When are people going to realize it’s not two drunk guys locked in a cage beating the crap out of each other? It’s not a freak show. These are well-trained, athletic martial artists. It’s a sport, not a spectacle.