UFC 139 Predictions: What Must Go Right for a Cung Le Win

After a long absence from the fight game due to his acting career, Cung Le will return to action as a UFC fighter.

In his UFC debut, the former Strikeforce champion will take on MMA legend Wanderlei Silva in a fight that is pivotal for the respective careers of both fighters.

With a win over Silva, Le would move within striking distance of a middleweight title shot. However, a loss to the fading Silva could expose Le as a fighter who might not belong on the UFC roster.

In order for Le to come away with an important victory at UFC 139, he will have to be patient on his feet and make sure he doesn't leave any openings for any of Silva's wild, yet powerful, shots to connect.

Le is clearly a more technical striker than Silva, so he should be able to come away with a knockout victory of his own if he can keep distance and counter-strike.

Silva's chin has become more than questionable over recent years and Le has power in all of his strikes, so the Vietnamese fighter is fully capable of making a big statement in his Octagon debut.

If Silva is able to close the distance, Le may even want to use his underrated clinch game to put Silva's back on the canvas. A former kickboxer, Le is most known for his striking, but he also has a strong background in wrestling and sanshou.

In the end, Le is the more talented fighter in most aspects of MMA. As long as he keeps his composure and doesn't show any signs of ring rust in his first fight in more than one year, he should take a big step toward competing for the 185-pound division's belt.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 139. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the Nov. 19 fight card, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis.

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.