Nate Diaz is back.

On Tuesday, the UFC announced the immensely popular Stockton based fighter will meet fellow lightweight Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix.

Diaz (17-9), winner of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, has not stepped inside the octagon since his first round TKO victory over Gray Maynard in the main event of TUF 18 Finale in November 2013, earning a Knockout of the Night bonus in the process. Since then he has spent the last 10 months in the middle of a contract dispute with the UFC. He will enter this bout with 11 career submission victories,  eight of which have come under the UFC banner.

Dos Anjos (22-7), winner of seven of his last eight bouts, is coming off of a the biggest win of his career in the form of a first round knockout over former champion Benson Henderson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 49 in June. Prior to this win, fans saw the Brazilian’s five fight win streak snapped after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He will enter this bout with eight career submission victories.

Tickets for the event at Phoenix’s US Airways Center, which is headlined by the heavyweight bout between Junior Dos Santos and Stipe Miocic, go on sale on October 10.

Here’s how the UFC on FOX 13 card is shaping up:

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About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.