Three-time UFC title challenger Chad Mendes will return from a two-year drug suspension on July 14 in a featherweight bout against Myles Jury in Boise, Idaho.
UFC officials announced the 145-pound bout on Monday. The UFC Fight Night event will take place at CenturyLink Arena.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspended Mendes (17-4) in mid-2016 after he tested positive for a growth hormone-releasing substance. Mendes admitted he acted carelessly by ingesting the banned substance, but he denied any attempt to knowingly cheat.
Fighting out of Sacramento, California, Mendes challenged former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo for the UFC title in 2012 and 2014. He came up short in both title bids. He also fought Conor McGregor on short notice for an interim title in July 2015. He lost that fight via second-round TKO.
Prior to the suspension, Mendes, 33, had fallen into a bit of a rut, losing three of his previous four.
Jury (17-2) will be seeking perhaps the most high-profile win of his career. The Michigan native recorded impressive wins over Mike de la Torre and Rick Glenn in 2017.
In addition to the featherweight bout, the UFC officially confirmed a lightweight pairing between Paul Felder (15-3) and James Vick (13-1).
A heavyweight fight between former champion Junior dos Santos and Blagoy Ivanov is scheduled to headline the UFC Fight Night event.
