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Thiago Silva returning 'ten times stronger'

Thiago Silva wants to repay the fans © Getty Images

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Thiago Silva promises to put on a show against Alexander Gustafsson this weekend, and he claims he is ten times stronger than at any other point in his career.

Silva meets Gustafsson in Saturday's main event, knowing victory restores him to the upper echelons of the UFC light-heavyweight division. However, to do so he will need to beat the home favourite.

The reputation of Silva is lethal, only twice has he lost in his MMA career, and those defeats came against Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. However, he is returning from a year-long absence after he masked a drug test, knowing pain-killers for his back contained banned substances.

Nevertheless, Silva predicts the year off has given him the chance to heal up for the first time in his career, which he believes is bad news for Gustafsson this weekend.

"I haven't fought for one year, but I've taken care of my body and to be honest, it doesn't matter what [Gustafsson] says, I'm here to fight hard and that's what I'm going to do," Silva told ESPN.

"I took the time to take care of my injuries, and I'm back 100 per cent. Everybody knows I had a back problem, and in the last year I've done a lot of therapy and the back is really good.

"People are going to be very surprised because I'll come back ten times stronger, and ten times more aggressive. The fans can expect a different Thiago Silva, a healthy Thiago Silva, I'll be very different this time."

Gustafsson's rise to prominence has seen him linked to a future fight with champion Jon Jones, but Silva does not want to think about his own title run. In his eyes, it is more important to give something back to the fans.

"I'm not crazy enough to say I should fight the champion, I'm not in the right position to say that. But I'm here to put on a show, give something to the fans, but I'm not stupid enough to call out the champion - I have to prove myself."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.