UFC 139 Fight Card: The Best Main Card Predictions on the Internet

It's been a long time, but the most in-depth breakdowns and predictions are back in action for the incredibly stacked UFC 139 fight card on Saturday night.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. with a card for the ages.

In the main event, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua continues his march back to the light heavyweight title as he welcomes back former Pride middleweight champion and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson.

The co-main event also features another UFC versus Strikeforce tilt as MMA legends Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le do battle.

The rest of the card features a possible No. 1 contender bantamweight scrap between Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles, a welterweight tilt involving Martin Kampmann and Rick Story and a light heavyweight battle between The Ultimate Fighter alumni Stephan Bonnar and Kyle Kingsbury.

The time has come once again for you to feast on some manly induced knowledge in preparation for the upcoming fights. Snatch a cold beverage out the fridge and get comfortable. It's breakdown time.

As always, I encourage you to read my breakdowns to see why I made the predictions that I made. At the end of the breakdowns, I will have my official picks listed. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the fights!

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson

Key Victories

Shogun: Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Forrest Griffin, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Kazuhiro Nakamura

Henderson: Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin, Rafael Cavalcante, Renato Sobral, Rousimar Palhares, Murilo Rua, Murilo Bustamante, Renzo Gracie, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Gilbert Yvel, Michael Bisping

Forecast

Pride legends will collide when Mauricio "Shogun" Rua welcomes Dan Henderson back to the UFC Octagon.

As with Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, this bout is well past its prime, but luckily, Shogun and Henderson's ability to stay relevant in the 205-pound division over the years still makes for a solid main event.

Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Shogun trains out of Universidade da Luta, which was founded by him and his brother Murilo Rua. He is a Muay Thai specialist and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Hardcore fans remember him for winning the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix, and the world remembers him for defeating Lyoto Machida in May 2010 to claim the UFC light heavyweight title. After defeating Machida, Shogun lost the world title to Jon Jones at UFC 128 in lopsided fashion.

He rebounded in August 2011 by avenging a loss to former UFC champion Forrest Griffin.

Fighting out of Temecula, Calif., Henderson is a former Pride middleweight champion and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. He currently trains out of Team Quest, which features MMA standouts Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Tarec Saffiedine and Jesse Taylor.

Predominantly a wrestler and a boxer, Henderson mixes a vicious combination of world-class wrestling skills and a massive right hand. He is a former U.S. Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling and a former NCAA Division I wrestler at Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State University.

In July, Henderson earned perhaps the greatest victory in his legendary career after stopping MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko in the first round in their Strikeforce main event bout.

Keys to Victory

Shogun needs to dictate the pace of this fight and avoid being baited into wild, unnecessary exchanges. Henderson is a master at closing the distance and firing off haymakers in the pocket. Shogun showed a strong chin in his bout with Jones, but no human can withstand a clean "H -Bomb" from Henderson.

He needs to pick his shots and avoid getting trapped against the cage. In the open, Shogun should have a definitive advantage with his precision strikes and kicks.

He'll have to be aware of the possibility of Henderson changing levels and working for a takedown. If taken down, Shogun needs to work hard to either find a submission or scramble back to his feet. It may be a five-round fight, but Shogun can't afford to waste precious time fighting from his back.

We all know Henderson loves to swing for the fences in search of a knockout, but at 41 years old, his chin isn't quite what it used to be.

Despite showing a great ability to recover, Henderson has been dropped by a punch in his last couple of fights. His aggressiveness is his best weapon, but he needs to avoid getting careless. If he gets clipped in this fight, there likely won't be any coming back.

Shogun is a master at picking his shots, landing effectively and driving the nail into the coffin.

Even with his age, Henderson has the wrestling to present a threat to any light heavyweight in the world. If he uses his boxing to set up takedowns, this fight would quickly swing to his favor.

Prediction

Henderson has the skill set to make things tough on Shogun, but his gunslinger-like mentality will ultimately be his undoing.

Look for the former Pride champion to get overzealous in the standup exchanges and get tagged with a Shogun counter. It will be an old-school finish as Shogun locks up the Thai plum and goes to town on Henderson with knees and punches.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le

Key Victories

Silva: Quinton Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuyuki Fujita, Ricardo Arona, Ikuhisa Minowa, Hidehiko Yoshida, Keith Jardine, Michael Bisping, Kazuhiro Nakamura

Le: Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith, Tony Fryklund, Sammy Morgan

Forecast

Kickboxing legend and action movie star Cung Le jumps right into the fire in his UFC debut against former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva.

There won't be any director yelling "cut" in the Octagon, as Silva looks to erase a first-round knockout loss to Chris Leben in July at UFC 132.

Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Silva trains at Wand Fight Team alongside former Chute Boxe coach Rafael Cordeiro. Despite his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he has made a name off his berserker style and ferocious pace.

In his 15-year career, Silva has earned 24 knockouts. His reign as Pride middleweight champion lasted for nearly six years, before finally being ousted by Dan Henderson in February 2007.

Despite an illustrious career, Silva has been rather inconsistent as of late. He is 2-6 in his last eight bouts.

Fighting out of San Jose, Cali., Le is the former IKF light heavyweight San Shou World Champion. He retired with a record of 16-0 before making the transition to MMA.

In March 2008, Le defeated MMA legend Frank Shamrock for the Strikeforce middleweight title, which he ended up having to vacate due to filming obligations.

Le will be returning to action after over a year hiatus. He hasn't fought since June 2010 when he stopped Scott Smith with a highlight-reel spinning back kick.

Keys to Victory

Cung Le isn't a brawler. He's a tactician. The only loss on Le's MMA record came to Scott Smith in December 2009, and Silva could definitely take some notes from that bout.

Smith found success when he was able to close the distance and make Le exchange punches in the pocket. On the outside, Le's kicks are some of the most lethal in all of MMA, but when forced into pocket exchanges, he tends to scramble away from the action instead of countering.

Despite questions surrounding his chin, Silva is as dangerous as they come in pocket exchanges. If he can close the distance and cut off Le's angles, this could be a short night for the proclaimed "Human Highlight Reel."

Le needs to keep this bout in the open and use his kicks to maintain space against Silva. The worst place he can be is trapped against the fence under fire.

Le needs to be patient and look for opportunities to land. With Silva's kill-or-be-killed mentality, Le will have his chances to land, but he has to avoid lingering in the pocket. He needs to throw a strike, angle off and reset his offense.

Prediction

Silva has the most unpredictable style in the sport. With such an aggressive style, there is always the chance he gets clipped and goes to sleep early.

Still, it's tough to bank on Le's struggles in countering a strong boxer and a lack of full-time dedication. Scott Smith is a respectable fighter in MMA, but an attempt to balance a career of competing against world-class athletes and lighting up the silver screen alongside Channing Tatum is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Look for Silva to close the distance early and maul Le with a barrage of vicious punches en route to a first-round knockout.

Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles

Key Victories :

Faber: Dominick Cruz, Jens Pulver, Bibiano Fernandes, Ivan Menjivar, Jeff Curran, Charles Bennett, Raphael Assuncao, Eddie Wineland, Takeya Mizugaki

Bowles: Miguel Torres, Takeya Mizugaki, Damacio Page, Will Ribeiro

Forecast

A shot at the UFC bantamweight title could be on the line when top 135-pound contenders Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles go to war in a bout that should pose more energy than a elementary school playground.

Fighting out of Sacramento, Calif., Faber is a member of Team Alpha Male, which houses world-class fighters like Chad Mendes, Joseph Benavidez, Danny Castillo and Miesha Tate. He is the former WEC featherweight champion and King of the Cage bantamweight champion.

His style consists of wrestling, kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is looking to rebound after losing a unanimous decision to UFC champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 132.

Bowles fights out of Athens, Ga. He trains alongside Rory Singer and Cale Yarbrough at The HardCore Gym, an affiliate of American Top Team.

Despite a strong wrestling background, Bowles continues to show vast improvement and a dependency in his striking. He rose to superstardom in August 2009 after ending Miguel Torres' reign as WEC bantamweight champion.

After the victory, Bowles was defeated by Cruz in his first title defense. He has since picked up back to back wins over Takeya Mizugaki and Damacio Page.

Keys to Victory

Considering the nature of the styles involved, this is an incredibly tough bout to strategize for. The winner of this fight will edge the standup exchanges and come out on top in the grappling scrambles.

Faber showcased a nice leap in his striking in his championship bout with Cruz, but he has to avoid becoming one-dimensional. Bowles is a stud wrestler, and he should be able to shrug off any takedowns that come off telegraphed or rehearsed.

He needs to be aggressive and try to keep Bowles guessing with a mixed attack of striking and takedowns.

For Bowles, the game plan is practically the same as Faber's. He has to find a way to edge "The California Kid" in the standup exchanges and beat him in the ground transitions.

At times, Bowles tends to come off as a bit stiff or slow on the feet. He needs to really get after Faber and keep the pressure up. He can't allow himself to idle and let close rounds slip away.

Prediction

New fans are probably making the mistake of seeing this bout as a layup for Faber's journey back to title contention, but hardcore fans know better.

Bowles is a top-three bantamweight for a reason. He boasts serious knockout power, world-class wrestling and incredible strength for a 135-pounder. This is a tough fight for Faber.

For those into betting, Bowles may be a good pickup as an underdog.

With that said, Faber should be able to do enough to eke out rounds and take a close decision.

Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann

Key Victories :

Story: Thiago Alves, Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, Dustin Hazelett

Kampmann: Carlos Condit, Paulo Thiago, Jacob Volkmann, Jorge Rivera, Thales Leites, Drew McFedries

Forecast

Martin "Hitman" Kampmann will try to avoid missing a third consecutive mark when he takes on Rick "The Horror" Story.

Fighting out of Las Vegas, Kampmann is a longtime member of Xtreme Couture. He trains alongside Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Gray Maynard.

Before losing back-to-back bouts to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields, Kampmann was once considered a top-10 welterweight. Despite a recent skid, Kampmann remains one of the top strikers in the entire 170-pound division.

Story was born in Tacoma, Wash. He burst into the spotlight with major back-to-back wins over former title contender Thiago Alves and two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Johny Hendricks.

Along with a strong wrestling base, Story is a brute in the boxing department. He typically relies on closing the distance and roughing opponents up in the pocket. At UFC on Versus 4, he saw his six fight win streak snapped by Charlie Brenneman.

Keys to Victory

As long as the bout stays in the center, Kampmann will have a major advantage in the striking. While Story continues to see improvement in his standup, he doesn't possess the technical prowess of Kampmann.

The outcome of this bout will depend on Kampmann's ability to keep the fight standing and stay out of close-quarter exchanges.

While Kampmann is technically a better striker, he has to avoid getting Donkey Kong'd on by Story's power. Story is willing to walk through punches in an attempt to land a fight-ending haymaker. Kampmann needs to take the technical high road in landing in the open and angling off when the pocket closes.

If Story can bait Kampmann into wild exchanges, he should definitely pursue that option. Sanchez saw success on the feet against Kampmann when he was able to close the distance and fire off in the pocket.

As a fighter, it is always important to try to be exciting, but Story can't allow his hope to please fans ruin his top-10 position in the division. With such a strong wrestling pedigree, he has the wrestling to put Kampmann on his back and control from top position.

This should be an obvious strategy against a striker of Kampmann's caliber. When working for takedowns, he needs to watch out for Kampmann's guillotine.

Prediction

Story should win this fight, but an insatiable appetite for throwing down in the pocket will write "The Horror" his own horrific ending.

A bloody, back-and-forth battle will come to a devastating conclusion as Kampmann drops a fatigued Story in the third round and finishes up with a salvo of ground strikes.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Key Victories :

Bonnar: Keith Jardine, James Irvine, Brian Ebersole, Eric Schafer, Krzysztof Soszynski

Kingsbury: Fabio Maldonado, Jared Hamman, Ricardo Romero

Forecast :

Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, Bonnar is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Tae Kwon Do. His blood and guts style makes him a favorite of MMA fans and a nightmare for opponents.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones hit Bonnar with everything but the kitchen sink, and he still couldn't finish the "TUF" Season 1 alumni. Bonnar is coming off back to back wins over Igor Pokrajac and Krzysztof Soszynski.

Kyle Kingsbury fights out of San Jose, California. He is a member of the famous American Kickboxing Academy, which also houses Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Daniel Cormier and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

"Kingsbu's" style consists of Muay Thai and wrestling. He is currently riding a four-fight win streak.

Keys to Victory :

Bonnar's strategy coming into this bout should be to defend incoming takedowns and best the standup exchanges. Kingsbury, a former collegiate football player, is a physical specimen, and Bonnar will have to stay on his toes as the bout drags into the deeper waters.

On the other hand, Kingsbury should engage Bonnar on the feet, but he needs to mix in takedowns to ensure that he wins rounds.

Kingsbury boasts knockout power on the feet, but Bonnar could be the most resilient fighter in the sport. Unless Bonnar finds a way to finish, this bout is likely going the distance, and Kingsbury's job is to make sure he's ahead on the scorecards when Bruce Buffer renders the verdict.

Prediction :

As long as the bout stays upright, fans can expect an action packed light heavyweight battle that could make a case for fight of the night.

The standup will be dead even, but Kingsbury will begin to pull away as he secures enough takedowns to earn the nod of at least two judges.

Fight Predictions

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by Round 2 TKO

Wanderlei Silva by Round 1 KO

Urijah Faber by unanimous decision

Martin Kampmann by Round 3 TKO

Kyle Kingsbury by split decision