UFC 139 Predictions: Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le

No matter how great their career there comes a time when a veteran fighter must prove that they are still capable of competing at a high level.

Unfortunately, as has been the case with other greats like Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva has fallen from greatness to that point in a rather short amount of time.

Although he is actually four years older than Silva, Cung Le has not shown significant signs of aging, but he also doesn't have nearly the amount of wear and tear that Silva has accumulated over the years. Mixing MMA with an acting career, the 39-year-old Le only has eight MMA fights under his belt.

While this would lead one to think Silva has an experience advantage of Le, that might not be the case. Le is well-versed in kickboxing, wrestling, sanshou and a number of disciplines. In the end, it may be Le's lack of damage taken over the course of his career that could propel him to a victory over the former Pride champion.

Silva's chin has been extremely suspect as of late, and that is something Le will look to pinpoint with his diverse striking style. Competing in front of his hometown fans in San Jose, Calif., Le has a lot riding on his first fight inside the Octagon.

If Le wins this fight, the UFC will likely look to put him on the fast track to a middleweight title fight. However, if Le loses to Silva, many might begin to believe his lack of top-notch competition under the Strikeforce banner is what made him look so promising.

Though Silva is also competing for something important, likely his spot on the UFC roster, Le has the power in his strikes to put the MMA legend to sleep. Whether it be with a kick or a punch, "The Human Highlight Reel" has the ability to make a big splash at UFC 139.

Le has the technical kickboxing to deal with Silva's notoriously aggressive striking and the wrestling to keep the fight standing. As long as Le can avoid letting a wild Silva punch connect to his jaw, the former Strikeforce champion should be able to walk away with a knockout victory in his UFC debut.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.