GIVEN the recent weather most of us would happily swap rainy Manchester for sunny Sydney, Australia.

So when Michael Bisping, Ultimate Fighting Championship’s poster boy for the sport in the UK, told me he had been looking forward to the switch, it was totally understandable.

But the Clitheroe dad of two won’t be soaking up the sun, or even spending much time catching up with the family of his Australian fiancee Rebecca.

He’ll be facing ‘The Axe Murderer’ Wanderlei Silva. Inside a 6ft steel cage.

Bisping, 30, shot to Mixed Martial Arts fame in 2006 when he won season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter, securing his UFC contract.

Since then he has seen a 70 ft poster of himself adorn Times Square, featured in a video game, got his own action figure, and last summer filmed his first movie Beatdown.

He has also seen his fight record soar to 19 wins with just two losses.

And, on Saturday, he is set for ‘the biggest fight of my life’ at UFC 110 at the Acer Arena, Sydney.

“This is a big fight,” he said, “Wanderlei is a lethal fighter - a legendary fighter.

“I was supposed to fight him a while ago and so when I got the call, I accepted straight away.

“I have fought other big names but he is very aggressive and that will present some problems.

“The people to beat Wanderlei are in an elite club. And I intend to be a member of that club.”

Silva, 33, has won 32 of his 44 fights and is renowned for his striking skills.

But the Brit, who was knocked out for the first time in his career by Dan Henderson last July, says he is not worried about the Brazilian’s knock-out power.

“He’s a tough fighter and it will be a tough test for me but I am very confident.

“Obviously I didn’t plan on getting knocked out (by Henderson) but you have to try and draw positives from past situations.

“I have looked at the mistakes and it has refocused me and made me more determined.

“If you fight the best then everyone is going to get knocked out - it has happened to Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson.

“It still didn’t sit well with me but there is no shame in it.

“I want to take Wanderlei out and that is what I’m looking to do.”

And ‘The Count’ has a secret weapon in his corner.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who stars as BA in the forthcoming A Team film, knocked out Silva last December and has been helping Bisping to train.

“I owe him so much gratitude,” he said, “Rampage has fought him three times in all so if anyone knows him it’s Rampage.

“He has given me tips and helped structure my training.”

Bisping’s training, which has included the help of MMA specialists from the UK and US, began on Boxing Day. “Unfortunately it had to,” he jokes, “With two kids there was a lot of chocolate lying around over Christmas.”

His gruelling schedule begins at 6.30am with a four-mile run followed by porridge for breakfast then two hours at the Wolfslair, Widnes, doing a combination of wrestling, jujitsu, boxing and kick boxing. After lunch and an afternoon sleep it’s back to the gym for more sparring practise, including three six-minute rounds, which takes him up to 9.30pm. Just in time to catch some sleep before it all begins again.

But he has no plans to slow down.

“I want to fight again really soon after this. I am in my prime and don’t want to waste time sitting around.

“I am very proud of the success I have had in UFC and I want to be here for a long time to come.

“That is what keeps me going.

“Fingers crossed I will get through Wanderlei and get through the next fight and then I should get a shot at the middleweight title.”

What is certain is Bisping will be making history on Saturday as UFC heads to Australia for the first time.

“The event sold out in two hours - and to be involved in that is very exciting.

“Rebecca is Australian, my kids have Australian passports and one day we want to make it our home so it was a no brainer for me to be on the card.”

The event will also see him meet up with his first UFC opponent, Australian who returns to UFC for the first time after his loss to the Brit.

Bisping said: “I’m looking forward to seeing Elvis again. It would have been a travesty to have an event in Sydney and him not to be in it. He has been a workhorse and put on a lot of very good fights.”

So will Bisping be soaking up some Australian sun after his fight?

“Unfortunately not,” he says, “I’ll be flying home after three days and back in the gym.

“There’ll be plenty of time to lie on the beach when I’m retired.

“I’m very lucky though. I get to travel and I have a few quid in the bank now which has put me in a position to help my family and it’s nice to be able to do that.

“My life has changed a lot in the past few years, but I’m still the same person with the same friends.

“I’m still just Mick from Clitheroe.”