Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping?

According to a report on MMA Junkie the UFC is looking to match-up Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva for UFC 105 which will take place in November from the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England.

According to sources close to the event nothing has been signed but the organization is hoping to announce the bout sometime within the next week.

Silva the former Pride middleweight champion (205lbs) has had a somewhat rocky return since returning to the UFC in December of 2007. In his first bout back in the octagon, Silva lost a rousing unanimous decision to Chuck Liddell.

The two went back and forth, toe to toe for the full 15 minutes. Even though Silva lost the contest, he gained a legion of new fans with his fierce fighting style and huge heart. He rebounded nicely just five months later with a brutal knockout of the always tough Keith Jardine. It took Silva just 36 seconds to put Jardine to sleep, in fact Jardine laid motionless on the canvas for a few scary moments.

Up next was former Pride rival and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, a man he had defeated previously while both men were with Pride. He won both bouts in pretty brutal fashion and the two have no love lost for each other. They met once again in December at UFC 92 and this time around it was Jackson scoring the highlight reel knockout.

After that fight Silva announced plans to drop down to the middleweight division, to prepare himself for the weight cut he would have to endure he signed on to face former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin who had moved up the light heavuweight division a few months prior to this bout. They agreed to fight at UFC 99 in Germany at a catchweight of 195lbs. Once again Silva did not disappoint as the two put on a terrific fight, but Silva lost via unanimous decision. Since returning to the octagon Silva is 1-3, although he has lost tow very close decisions.

Bisping is coming off his second career loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100. The two were opposing coaches on the latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. This time around the two teams consisted of eight fighters representing their home country. Bisping led the UK and Henderson led the USA. Bisping tried as hard as he could to get inside Henderson’s head, but the former Pride welterweight (middleweight) and middleweight champion would not buy into Bisping’s child like antics.

Henderson said all along that he would let his fighting do the talking for him and with one well placed right hand, he spoke volumes. Just over three minutes into the second round Henderson knocked Bisping out cold with a thunderous right hand, he followed that up with a leaping right hand that landed flush on the jaw of a fallen Bisping.

A potential Bisping-Silva match-up in England is potentially very dangerous for the UFC. They have treated Bisping with kid gloves and if he were to suffer another brutal loss, this time in front of his hometown fans, iot could permanently derail the Bisping express. We all know Silva is capable of putting Bisping to sleep with his dangerous Muay Thai striking skills. If Bisping were to win it would put him right back on track and allow the UFC to keep their English gravy train running smoothly.

If Silva were to suffer another loss it would almost certainly be the beginning of the end for the “Axe Murderer”. Even if he loses another competitive decision, he would have to begin to evaluate what he has left in his tank. He has been through so many wars throughout the years and another loss would put him at 2-5 since 2006 with three of those losses coming by way of knockout. This is a fight he would need to win to remain relevant. With a new gym and an ever expanding list of fighters wanting to train under him, it may be time to hang up the gloves if he suffers another loss.