Greenwich will host the showdown between arguably the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time and Britain’s biggest name in the sport – and there will be bad blood in the octagon.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the O2 next month with 10 British fighters on the card, including Croydon’s Jimi Manuwa*, who suffered his first defeat at the same fixture last year.

Brazilian legend Anderson Silva headlines in a fight against Britain's most famous UFC fighter Michael Bisping, who is ranked seventh in the world.

It is a bout that many neutrals have been keen to see for years.

Silva was world middleweight champion between 2006 and 2013 and had a record run of 16 fights undefeated but latterly his career has not been so rosy.

First he lost his title to Chris Weidman and then, in the rematch, sustained a horrific broken leg that required immediate surgery to put a rod in his shin.

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He returned with a win against Nick Diaz in January 2015 but was subsequently banned after failing drugs tests, which he claimed was the result of a contaminated sexual enhancement drug.

The bout on February 27 will mark his comeback and in the longer term he is targeting the return of his world championship.

Bisping stands in his way and said anyone who used performance enhancing drugs was a ‘coward’.

The 36-year-old former winner of The Ultimate Fighter and a Cage Rage champion, said: “We are all chasing a dream and all fighters dream of being the champion but you have got to do it through hard work and determination.

“The fact of the matter is Anderson Silva tested positive for not one, not two but three banned substances. Whilst I respect him as a fighter, I have got to say I lost a lot of respect for him over that.

“To call yourself a martial artist and to take performance enhancing drugs is biggest contradiction you could ever make and, to be honest, he should be ashamed of himself. This should be talked about more.”

Bisping – named Zoo magazine’s Coolest Man of the Year in 2008 - vowed not to fight anyone who had previously failed a drugs test but was too tempted by the potential head-to-head with Silva.

He said: “Regardless of what happened, he is still Anderson Silva and it is a bucket list fight. He is somebody I always wanted to face.”

Silva, 40, said: “I don’t feel that I have to prove anything to anyone as far as what I have done in fighting. I have been doing this since I was a kid, eight years old.

“I am very motivated, I am motivated to follow my dream. I am ready to be tested any time. You guys can test me as much as you guys like.

“I committed an error. I took a substance that was contaminated.”

Recent struggles aside, Bisping recognises his opponent’s achievements too.

He said: “He is a legend of the sport, a longtime middleweight champion and a guy I have wanted to fight for a long time.

“Of course I wanted to fight him when he was the champion but this really for me is the biggest fight outside of a world title fight right now.

“Anderson is still a massive name, he is still a huge draw and I have a lot of respect for him as a fighter. I always wanted to test myself against him. I knew I could beat him.”

And for Silva, the fight is also a great chance to connect with fans in this country.

He said: ““I fought in England for part of my career – I haven’t fought there in a long time.

“The English fans are great, I’m very happy to come back.

 “Ideally I would have liked to have this fight in Brazil. I wanted to come back fighting in Brazil in front of my Brazilian fans but England is going to be great, especially against a guy like Michael Bisping.

“I feel like this fight should have happened some time before.”

UFC Fight Night is at The O2 on February 27. Go to axs.com

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*UPDATE: Unfortunately, Jimi Manuwa has suffered an injury and will no longer be competing.