UFC 139: Ranking the 5 Best Fights on the Card

This Saturday, the UFC welcomes back former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, who will be facing former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the main event at UFC 139.

Henderson is coming off three consecutive knockout victories over Renato Sobral, Fedor Emelianenko and Rafael Cavalcante. Rua is coming off his knockout win of Forrest Griffin in his first fight since losing the title earlier this year.

Other main card bouts include Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le, Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber, Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury and Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann.

These are the five best fights on the card.

No. 5: Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Ultimate Fighter 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar (13-7) will be the next test for another Ultimate Fighter contestant in Kyle Kingsbury (11-2), who competed in the heavyweight division on the show.

Kingsbury enters the bout on a four-fight win streak with victories over Fabio Maldonado and Jared Hamman. Two of those four earned him Fight of the Night bonuses.

Bonnar opened up as the favorite when the fight was announced, but odds are slightly favoring his opponent now. He enters the bout having gone 2-3 in his last five.

Either way this fight goes, it has the potential to steal the show. Neither of these guys compete in boring fights.

No. 4: Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann

Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann (17-5) will enter his fight with Rick Story (13-4) on a two-fight losing streak, but he could arguably have won both of those fights vs. Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. Many would say he deserved the victory in each of them, which would put him on a four-fight win streak.

His opponent recently suffered his first defeat in eight bouts when he accepted a late replacement fight with Nate Marquardt, who was replaced a day before the bout by Charlie Brenneman. Story had no answer to Brenneman's wrestling and lost a clear-cut unanimous decision.

If Kampmann has learned anything in his last couple fights, it's to avoid letting it go to the scorecards. It will be tough for him to get the finish, considering Story has never been stopped.

No. 3: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles

Former WEC champion Urijah Faber (25-5) and Brian Bowles (10-1) will fight to determine the next possible challenger for current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

Both have faced Cruz before, and both have come up short in their last outings against the dominant champion.

Faber lost a unanimous decision to Cruz in his last fight, and his career has been hot and cold since 2008, when he lost his WEC title to Mike Brown.

Bowles' only loss is to Cruz, and he currently sits at 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Takeya Mizugaki and Damacio Page.

No. 2: Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le

Wanderlei Silva (33-11-1) will welcome UFC newcomer Cung Le (7-1) to the Octagon this weekend, and it's guaranteed fireworks.

Neither guy likes to go to the ground, and both will be looking for the knockout, making this one of the most anticipated fights on the card.

For Silva, it might be his last fight, win or lose. He is 2-6 in his last eight fights, which dates back to 2006.

Le was last seen avenging his only loss to Scott Smith in June 2010. He is a former Sanshou champion and one of the more dynamic strikers in the sport. All of his victories have come by way of knockout.

No. 1: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua

Dan Henderson (28-8) might be 41, but his recent accomplishments in Strikeforce have placed him among the best light heavyweights in the world and have made him one or two fights away from getting his shot at UFC gold.

He will have to go through Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (20-5) first, and that's no easy task. The muay Thai specialist will be looking to get his first UFC victory in the United States.

The five-round main event is likely to go the distance or at least into the later rounds. Both are hard to finish, and Henderson has never been kayoed.

This is not only the best fight on the card but also the hardest to predict.