New York's David Branch will return to the UFC on May 13 in a middleweight fight against Krzysztof Jotko at UFC 211 in Dallas.
Officials confirmed the 185-pound bout to ESPN.com on Tuesday. MMAFighting.com had previously reported the bout had been targeted.
Branch (20-3) is a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion for World Series of Fighting. He fought for the UFC in 2010 and 2011, posting an overall record of 2-2.
The 35-year-old won 12 of his next 13 fights outside the UFC. His only loss during that stretch came against current UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson.
ESPN.com ranks Branch the No. 10 middleweight in the world.
Jotko (19-1), of Poland, is 6-1 in the Octagon and has won his past five.
A heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic (16-2) and Junior dos Santos (18-4) headlines UFC 211 inside American Airlines Center.
