Brandon Vera Returns to Heavyweight for UFC 164 Clash with Ben Rothwell

Vera announced the news via Twitter on Thursday morning, and UFC officials confirmed the booking shortly thereafter. UFC 164 takes place Aug. 31 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, and the evening’s main draw airs live on pay-per-view. It is currently unknown if Vera-Rothwell will be part of the pay-per-view broadcast or the free preliminary offering.

Vera left the heavyweight division in 2008 on the heels of back-to-back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. Since dropping to 205 pounds, Vera has posted a record of 4-4 with one no-contest, most recently falling to former champion Mauricio Rua in a fourth-round technical knockout last August at UFC on Fox 4.

Four years younger than Vera, Rothwell, 31, has gone 2-3 since joining the UFC in 2009, picking up wins over Gilbert Yvel and Brendan Schaub while stumbling against Cain Velasquez and Mark Hunt. The former IFL standout last competed on Jan. 19, when he was submitted by a Gabriel Gonzaga guillotine choke in the second round of their UFC on FX 7 contest.