Lyoto Machida vs. Derek Brunson headlines UFC’s return to Brazil

Following an 18-month suspension, former champion Lyoto Machida will make his long awaited return to action as he faces Derek Brunson in a middleweight main event at UFC Fight Night in Sao Paolo, Brazil on Oct. 28.

UFC officials announced the matchup on Monday.

Machida (22-7) has been out of action for over two years but most notably sat on the sidelines for the past 18 months after admitting to use of a banned substance prior to his previously scheduled bout against Dan Henderson last year.

Now Machida has served his time and he’s anxious to resume his career while also looking to bounce back from two losses in a row to Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold.

Greeting Machida upon his first fight back is Derek Brunson (17-5), who will look to get his second win in a row after a devastating first round knockout against Dan Kelly in June.

Brunson has gone 6-2 over his past eight fights with his only losses coming to interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and former middleweight king Anderson Silva.

More fights will be announced in the coming weeks for the UFC Fight Night card in Brazil.