This Saturday’s UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif. is one of the most stacked cards closing out 2011, hosting seven former champions.
From the preliminary bouts streaming on Facebook to the main card, every fight features hard-nosed, exciting combatants that could all viably take Fight of the Night honors.
Looking at the main event, a battle between former champions and Pride legends Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will either end in the blink of an eye or in an intense, back-and-forth battle.
Even the co-main event features a pair of decorated strikers in Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le in a fight that will definitely be a stand-up war.
However, it is a fight between former WEC stars that intrigues me the most.
Former WEC featherweight champion and current UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber will be looking to get another crack at UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz as he takes on former WEC Bantamweight champion Brian Bowles.
Bowles is also vying for a rematch with the champ, as he lost his WEC crown to Cruz at WEC 47—his only loss to date.
Both Faber and Bowles are exciting bantamweights that have long records of finishing their opponents.
Bowles has either submitted or knocked out his adversaries in all but one of his victories. His biggest win came against Miguel Torres, who is also on the card, at WEC 42. Bowles knocked Torres out in the first round to take the WEC bantamweight belt.
Faber is coming off a Fight of the Night performance against the current bantamweight champ in a bout that he thinks he won.
Faber always comes out and excites fans with his fast-paced style. In his 25 victories, he has finished all but four of his opponents.
Now I’ll be honest, I do not expect a finish in this fight. Both fighters are evenly matched and possess a similar skill set, with Faber taking the edge in strength.
However, because of this, I think that this fight will steal the show and further solidify the lower weight classes as being the most exciting divisions in the sport.
Regardless of the victor, this matchup between Faber and Bowles will be one for the ages.
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