UFC on Fox 1 has come and gone and nary a word was spoken of Stephan Bonnar, one of the two men largely responsible for one of the most important fights in North American MMA history.

Perhaps that's because he's been out of action for nearly a year and wasn't exactly been burning up the light heavyweight scene before his extended vacation. Bonnar, winner of two in a row, returns to the Octagon tonight (Sat., Nov. 19, 2011) at UFC 139 in San Jose, California, against Kyle Kingsbury.

At 34-years-old, Bonnar is no spring chicken anymore but he's serviceable as a sort of gatekeeper in the 205-pound division. His job is secure, thanks to the aforementioned most important fight in North American MMA history and all, but can he stay motivated? After all, the chances of "The American Psycho" fighting for a title in his career range from slim to none.

That's not good.

What is good, for fight fans at least, is his proclivity for leaving it all in the cage, forgive the cliche. Bonnar is the consummate professional, stepping up to do his job despite the low ceiling on his career. The same cannot be said of his opponent tonight.

The name Kyle Kingsbury probably doesn't ring a bell for the majority of the UFC fanbase. And that's fine ... for now.

What's important is that he be given a chance to win you over, which is what's happening here. He'll kick off the main card against a durable, and highly respected opponent in Bonnar, who will supply a much stiffer test than anything "Kingsbu" has seen to date.

Sure, he's won four in a row -- two of which earned him "Fight of the Night" honors -- but his resume lacks the star power a name like Bonnar would provide.

Win impressively and who knows ... the sky's the limit.