ARNOLD ALLEN will make his long-awaited return to the octagon next month against fellow featherweight prospect Sodiq Yusuff.
SunSport has confirmed reports the eleventh and tenth-ranked 145-pounders will meet at UFC Fight Night 188 on April 10.
News of the fight was first reported by MMA Junkie.
Suffolk's Allen has been on the sidelines for the last thirteen months following a decision victory over the recently-retired Nik Lentz.
Dana White's Contenders Series graduate Yusuff, meanwhile, has also been on the sidelines for the same period.
The Nigerian-born American last competed at UFC 246 in Las Vegas, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Andre Fili.
Allen, 27, will enter the battle of prospects with a perfect 7-0 record inside the octagon.
Like his upcoming opponent, Yusuff has yet to taste defeat during his time on the UFC roster – winning all four of his fights in the promotion.
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Victory over the highly-touted Yusuff could kick start a run to featherweight title contention for Allen, who is coming up on the six-year anniversary of his octagon debut.
The location of UFC Fight Night 188 has not yet been announced, although it's expected to take place at the UFC's Apex Facility in Las Vegas.
The card will be headlined by a pivotal match-up in the middleweight division between Liverpool's Darren Till and the in-form Marvin Vettori.
UFC Fight Night 188 card (as it stands)
Darren Till vs Marvin Vettori – Middleweight bout
Nina Ansaroff vs. Mackenzie Dern – Women's Strawweight bout
Jarjis Danho vs. Yorgan De Castro – Heavyweight bout
Bea Malecki vs. Norma Dumont Viana – Women's Bantamweight bout
John Makdessi vs. Ignacio Bahamondes – Lightweight bout
Zak Cummings vs. Sam Alvey – Middleweight bout
Kyle Daukaus vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev – Middleweight bout
Jordan Griffin vs. Luis Saldana – Featherweight bout
Jack Shore vs. Hunter Azure – Bantamweight bout
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Mike Perry – Welterweight bout
Da Un Jung vs. Shamil Gamzatov – Light Heavyweight bout
Impa Kasanganay vs. Sasha Palatnikov – Welterweight bout
Scott Holtzman vs. Mateusz Gamrot – Lightweight bout
Jim Miller vs. Joe Solecki – Lightweight bout
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