This Saturday Brazilian striker Wanderlei Silva will meet Michael Bisping (18-2) in the main card of UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia.  Silva hopes to rebound from his recent losses in UFC competition and reform himself as an elite middleweight fighter.

Wanderlei Silva

Silva, known as “The Axe Murderer,” “Cachorro Louco” and “Mad Dog,” will make his middleweight (185 lbs) debut this weekend.  Previously fighting in the light-heavyweight division (205 lbs), Silva is the former IVC light-heavyweight champion, the first even Pride middleweight champion (205 lbs) (2001-2007), the 2003 Pride middleweight grand prix tournament winner, and was named the 2004 fighter of the year by Sherdog.

Fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil, Silva developed his devastating muay tai striking at Chute Box Academy under Rudimar Fedrigo.  Upon moving to the United States in 2007 to compete in the UFC, he has trained with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.  Silva is currently training for his upcoming fight at his newly opened facility, Wand Fight Team Academy based in Las Vegas.

Silva holds a professional MMA record of 32-10-1, 1NC coming into his fight at UFC 110.  Despite his impressive record, against top-level opponents, he has lost five of his last six fights, including his last two inside the octagon.  However, Silva hopes to transform himself as a middleweight fighter.

With a strong background in muay tai as well as a black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu under Carlos Gracie Jr., Silva is a complete MMA fighter.  His muay tai skills have proven pivotal and at times devastating throughout his career.  Of his 32 career wins, 20 have come by way of knockout or TKO.

UFC 110 Open Workout

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson knocked out Silva in their third professional meeting on Dec 27, 2008 at UFC 92.  Jackson landed a quick left hook that sent Silva to the canvas, leaving him unconscious, in the first round (3:21) of the light-heavyweight battle.  Silva was victorious by way of knockout and TKO in their first two fights, which took place in Pride Fighting Championship.

His next fight proved more competitive as Silva lost a unanimous decision to former UFC middleweight champion RichFranklin on June 13 in the main event of UFC 99.  It was a back and forth battle featuring both fighters on their feet striking for the majority of the fight.  The contest, which won fight of the night honors, was fought at a catchweight of 195 lbs.

Despite his reputation as a distinguished striker, Silva’s striking defense has been his most noticeable weakness in recent fights.  In his last six fights he has faced three knockout losses.  Of his 44-fight career Silva had never been knocked out and had only ever been TKO’d twice before this point, one due to a cut.

Silva’s muay tai skills will be extremely relevant in his fight with Bisping and will likely be utilized as often as possible.  Bisping is a striker as well, and is known for keeping the fight standing.   Of Bisping’s 18 career wins, 11 have come by way of knockout or TKO.  The match will likely be a stand-up battle, featuring two talented strikers relatively new to the middleweight division.

Live pay-per-view coverage of UFC 110 will begin at 10 p.m. EST

Countdown To UFC 110 Video

In the 195 pound catchweight main event of UFC 99: The Comeback, Rich Franklin gutted out a big decision victory over Wanderlei Silva to keep himself at the forefront as one of the UFC’s elite fighters.

The start of the fight was tentative, with Franklin pawing his jab and using his reach to keep Silva at bay. Silva then caught a Franklin kick and slammed Franklin down, setting up the rare sight of Silva trying to work the ground game. Franklin stood up and on a missed Silva guillotine grabs front mount, but Silva escaped to end the round.

Rich Franklin was victorious via UD at UFC 99

Franklin continued the technical counter-striking in the second round, scoring a soft knockdown early while dancing and circling out of Silva’s lunging strikes. However, Silva landed a hard 1-2 punch combo which wobbled Franklin, and the round ended with both fighters swinging and connecting.

In round three, Franklin took the advice of his corner and didn’t slug with Silva, who was gassing quickly but still pressing forward. A big flurry by Silva had Franklin in trouble, but a takedown by Franklin set up a frantic finish where Franklin had standing back control and both men were still throwing strikes.

In the end, Franklin’s smart game plan paid off as his precision and caution gave him the “W” over Silva. For Silva, it was another reminder that his all-out-brawl style, while everlastingly exciting, won’t cut it against the top tier of modern-day UFC elites.

Jake Shields challenged Cung Le for the Strikeforce Middleweight title after submitting Robbie Lawler.

In a catchweight superfight, former EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields scored a significant upset by submitting former EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler with a guillotine choke in the first round of their main event fight.

Shields, who moved up in weight to fight Lawler, went for takedowns immediately after the opening bell, but Lawler threw them off with relative ease. Despite being known for his heavy strikes, Lawler never threw anything dangerous and chose to clinch with Shields instead. Shields, the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former All-American wrestler, got a hold of Lawler’s neck in the clinch, pulled guard, and locked in a guillotine choke which had Lawler tapping two minutes into the first round.

It was a great display of reflex by Shields, who was earlier frustrated in his takedown attempts but needed no second time of asking when presented with a submission opportunity. For Lawler, it was a disappointment to be submitted by a smaller man while not being able to showcase any of his own skills.

MMA bad boy Nick Diaz used his reach advantage and superior technique to pick apart Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith, eventually finishing Smith via submission in the third round of their catchweight fight at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields.

Nick Diaz: title threat at both welterweight and middleweight?

Diaz peppered Smith with punches and jabs in the first round, but Smith responded to Daiz’s taunting by throwing his trademark power punches, catching Diaz more than once. It was more of the same in the second round, with Smith’s lack of defense (no head or hand movement) allowing Diaz to continue to smash him with strikes at will, letting the slight punches take their toll.

A desperate Smith swung for the fences in the third round, but was felled by a punch to the body by Diaz. On the ground, Diaz used his black-belt-level BJJ skills to quickly lock in a rear naked choke, leading to a quick tap by Smith.

It was a clinic in technique by Diaz, who used patience and precision to neutralize Smith’s vaunted power strikes. Smith’s lack of technique or accuracy made things too easy for Diaz after the first round.