UFC 139 Early Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC will go to San Jose for the first time on Nov. 19, and they are bringing a star-studded card headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former UFC champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson.

Henderson returns to the UFC for the first time since his knockout of the year against Michael Bisping. He has gone 3-1 since that 2009 victory with victories over Fedor Emelianenko, Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante.

In the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le look to trade heavy leather in their anticipated middleweight bout.

Also on the card, bantamweights Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles will fight as well as welterweights Martin Kampmann and Rick Story.

These are early betting odds and predictions for the main card bouts.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury

It's been almost a year since light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar has fought, but he is currently riding his longest win streak since 2007 with back-to-back victories over Krzysztof Soszynski and Igor Pokrajac.

He will take on Kyle Kingsbury, who has gone 4-1 in his past five fights with some memorable performances that earned him several fight of the night bonuses.

It will be interesting to see how the layoff affects Bonnar's performance. The last time he had an extended layoff, he came back to have three losses in a row, including a pretty disappointing performance against Mark Coleman.

As far as their skills inside the cage, Kingsbury has shown he can dig deep when fights get tough, and that is exactly what Bonnar is known for.

If Kingsbury can utilize his wrestling and size in this fight, he should be able to put Bonnar on his back long enough to win a closely contested decision. He has also shown he is able to use his Muay Thai to establish an attack on the feet that can be dangerous. Bonnar will be able to weather the storm, but he probably will come up short on the scorecards after three rounds.

Kyle Kingsbury wins by unanimous decision

Welterweight Bout: Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story

Odds: Martin Kampmann +115, Rick Story -145

In the UFC's welterweight division, Martin Kampmann and Rick Story will both look to rebound from recent losses to reestablish their position in one of the more stacked divisions.

Kampmann is coming off his two very close decision losses to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields while Story dropped a decision to Charlie Brenneman after accepting a late-notice fight with him the day before the fight.

When talking about two fighters who are tough to finish, these are two that definitely should be mentioned. Each have shown they have the chin to take some of the hardest shots from some of the best strikers in the division.

Story will look to bully Kampmann in this fight, and if the Danish fighter's last fight with Sanchez was any indication, pressure can sometimes be his worst enemy even in fights it seems like he is winning clearly. Story is all about pressure, and it's something he has used to win six of his last seven fights in the UFC.

This should be a fun fight to watch, but it will be one that Story is the victor in by pushing Kampmann up against the cage, utilizing body punches and pressure to win a decision after three rounds.

Rick Story wins by unanimous decision.

Bantamweight Bout: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles

Odds: Brian Bowles +170, Urijah Faber -210

In a bantamweight bout that should determine the No. 1 contender for champion Dominick Cruz, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber and former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles will meet to determine who gets the next shot.

Bowles only has one loss on his record, and that was to Cruz in his first title defense. He has fought twice since that 2010 bout and picked up solid wins over Damacio Page and Takeya Mizugaki.

Faber is 4-4 in his last eight fights with three of those losses coming in five-round title fights that all went the distance.

The wear and tear might be starting to catch up to Faber, but he showed in the Cruz fight that he has the ability to compete with the best. He wasn't able to pull the trigger due to Cruz's constant movement in the bout, and it is what cost him the decision in many peoples' eyes.

It's hard to predict exactly where the fight will take place, but fans can expect the pace to be set pretty high from the first bell to the last with the fight being fought in all areas. Both have a history of breaking their hands in fights so that could become a problem if it happens early. 

The one who stays more active in this bout should win it, and Faber knows that after his last bout. In three rounds, he will have a lot more energy to expend than in a five-rounder, and he will use it to win a decision.

Urijah Faber wins by unanimous decision.

Middleweight Bout: Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le

In an anticipated middleweight bout between fan-favorite fighters, Wanderlei Silva will welcome former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le to the Octagon.

Le was last seen beating Scott Smith in their rematch from June 2010. Le has only averaged one fight each year for the past four years. His other wins include those over Frank Shamrock and Tony Fryklund.

Silva steps into the fight as a replacement for Vitor Belfort. He is coming off a loss to Chris Leben, which was his sixth loss in his past eight fights. Like Le, he only has two wins since 2008.

One question going into this bout is the same one that has been asked over Silva's last couple fights. Just how much does "The Axe Murderer" have left? His 27-second knockout loss against Leben proved he doesn't have much left in his chin.

Le's experience in MMA has been relatively low. Without any impressive wins over relative opposition or having been challenged, he might make a mistake that cost him his only career defeat to Smith. We also haven't seen much of his ground game, and this is a place Silva can take him while avoiding the diverse striking attack that he presents.

Silva will be in trouble early but survive long enough to rock Le and submit him for the first time since his 2000 win over Bob Schrijber.

Wanderlei Silva by guillotine choke in Round 2.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Maurício Rua vs. Dan Henderson

Odds: Mauricio Rua -115, Dan Henderson -115

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has been high and low in his UFC career, but he has fought among the best and beaten many of them, including Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida and Chuck Liddell.

When he takes on Dan Henderson in the main event, he will be looking to get back into title contention with a win over one of the best fighters the MMA world has ever seen.

Henderson has fallen in love with his right hand over the past few fights, but no matter how easy it is to see coming, his opponents cannot get out of the way of the renowned H-bomb. It has finished four of his last five opponents, including Michael Bisping and Fedor Emelianenko.

Rua has proven more than once that he has one of the best chins in the sport. It still might not be enough to withstand one of Henderson's right hands so it's a good idea for him to not take many risks in this fight.

If Rua can stand on the outside and utilize leg kicks, he may be able to avoid the punch completely and outpoint Henderson by winning enough rounds over the five round distance. Outside of power, Rua has the advantage in the standup.

Henderson also has the ability to put Rua on his back, and that's a place where he could steal the fight and walk away with the win if he can get the Brazilian down. What he does when he gets it there is a question that is hard to answer, but Rua does have a pretty solid submission game that could present some challenges.

This will be a close one.

Mauricio Rua wins by split decision.