Sure, this Saturday’s UFC 99 card from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany is short on big money pay-per-view draws and the usual puffed up pre-fight histrionics that eventually become more grating than a Jonas Brothers concert. However, what we get in return is a lean and mean fight card featuring some of the sport’s most exciting fighters in matches hardcore fans have been clamoring for.

The catchweight main event pitting Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva alone is like something out of my own personal fistic wish list while the remaining main card bouts more than carry their weight when compared to such a money main event. Whether it be the long-boiling grudge match between ultra-punk Englishman Dan Hardy and Irish slugger Marcus Davis or the return of the true Japanese sensation Caol Uno against American highlight reel Spencer Fisher, every fight palate will find something violently pleasing.

Throw in the ongoing rise of heavyweight ultra-prospect Cain Velasquez, a rare “Cro-Cop” sighting and a “TUF” showdown that is actually worth watching and you’ve got a card that delivers a speedball sized dose of fighting goodness. So ignore real world obligations and settle in for another round of fight prognostication and sociopolitical analysis. Or maybe I’ll just stick to the fighting stuff.