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

This was a tough one. So many great fighters this year..so many great bouts. Before I reveal my pick for best all-around fighter of 2009, I will amuse you with this ridiculous video I found. If you’re anything like me (read: love watching someone get walloped right in the face), you will truly enjoy this.

Ahh. That went down as well as an ice cold glass of lemonade on an August day. Here’s one more, just for fun.

Alright enough distractions. After taking into account what was an incredible year for him, Anderson “The Spider” Silva is without a doubt the most influential fighter of 2009.  Let me show you one of the reasons.

A nominee for the 2009 ESPYS “Best Fighter” and Sherdog‘s  #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Silva has earned a seat next to Couture and Liddell as a pioneer and one of the greats in the sport of mixed-martial arts.  The Brazilian phenom is currently the UFC Middleweight Champion (reigning strong since 2006) and dominated the UFC twice this year. He beat the leviathan Thales Leites in UFC 97 to retain his crown and put the monstrous Forrest Griffin in his place in UFC 101.

Here’s a rundown of his greatest accomplishments:

• Shooto Middleweight Champion

• Last Cage Rage Middleweight Champion

• Current UFC Middleweight Champion

• Unified UFC Middleweight and Pride FC Welterweight Championships

• Record for most consecutive UFC wins (Ten)

• Tied for the record of most consecutive title defenses (Five)

Possibly the most dominant fighter of the last decade, Silva remains one of the best. Despite rumors of retirement in 2010, he has been on a lusus naturae-ish tear and, with a 25-4 record, looks to stay on this path for a while. What will be next for the most influential fighter of 2009? Who knows..but there’s bound to be plenty more fights. Hopefully they’ll be like these.