A middleweight matchup between Hector Lombard and Brad Tavares has been added to UFC on FOX 23, organization officials announced earlier this week.
Lombard (34-6-1, 2 NC) returned to the cage for the first time in over a year in March against Neil Magny and lost via third-round TKO. He had been sidelined since January 2015 because of a positive drug test following a win over Josh Burkman at UFC 182, which was later overturned to a no-contest. The 38-year-old stepped back up to the middleweight division in his last outing against Dan Henderson and dropped a devastating knockout loss.
Tavares (14-4) defeated Caio Magalhaes by unanimous decision at UFC 203 in September in his last bout, coming off a 16-month layoff. Prior to that, the Hawaiian was knocked out by Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 65 in May 2015.
It isn’t clear at this time where on the card Lombard vs. Tavares will be placed.
UFC on FOX 23 takes place live from Pepsi Center in Denver on Jan. 28. A lightweight bout between Jason Gonazlez and J.C. Cottrell is also scheduled for the card, although a main event has yet to be set.