Kiwi UFC competitor Dylan Andrews will make his long-awaited return to the octagon when he meets American Sam Alvey at UFC Fight Night 55 in Sydney on November 8.
The Gold Coast-based Andrews has been on the shelf since he threw his shoulder out and suffered a TKO loss against Clint Hester at UFC Fight Night 33 in Brisbane late last year, which ended his six-fight winning streak.
Andrews (17-5, 1NC) flirted with a drop to welterweight on his return but has decided to stay at middleweight for his meeting with Alvey (23-6, 1NC).
Kiwi-born fighter Robert Whittaker (12-4), who scored a decision victory over Mike Rhodes at UFC Fight Night 43 in Auckland in June, will move up from welterweight to middleweight in November and meet Hester.
The Sydney show will be headlined by a five-round middleweight stoush between title contenders Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold.