Former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles (10-2) is set to return to the cage after a long lay-off that has kept him out since November 2011.
Bowles will return Memorial Day Weekend at UFC 160 and will face former WEC alum George Roop (13-9-1).
The promotion made the bout official earlier today with this announcement at UFC.com.
Former WEC bantamweight champ Brian Bowles will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 160 in Las Vegas. Welcoming Bowles back will be fellow WEC alum George Roop, who most recently outpointed Reuben Duran at UFC 158.
UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 is expected to take place on May 25, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will see former heavyweight opponents, UFC champ Cain Velasquez and Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, square off in a title match.
The Bowles vs. Roop match is certain to appear on the nights preliminary card, most likely on Facebook.
Bowles has been out since a UFC bantamweight contender bout versus Urijah Faber in November 2011. The UFC 139 match saw Bowles lose by second round submission. A broken hand in that fight kept Bowles out of the lineup since that time. That loss ended a two-fight win streak which included victories versus Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 132 and versus Damacio Page at UFC on Versus 3.
Roop is set to make a quick turnaround after a decision victory earlier this month at UFC 158 in his bantamweight return. At the Montreal event, Roop earned a unanimous decision over opponent Reuben Duran. The win erased two-straight losses which saw Roop fall to the hands of Cub Swanson and Hatsu Hioki.