Jim Miller to Face Strikeforce Import Pat Healy in Lightweight Duel at UFC 159

Healy and Miller join the April 27 bill alongside headliners Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, who will do battle over the UFC light heavyweight title at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The evening’s main card airs live on pay-per-view, while the prelims will be broadcast on FX and Facebook.

Healy has won six straight fights heading into his UFC return, having last fought in the Octagon in 2006, when he was submitted by Anthony Torres. Healy would go on to sign with the International Fight League before winning the Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight title in 2008. The 29-year-old then dropped to lightweight and signed with Strikeforce, where he topped the likes of Caros Fodor and Mizuto Hirota to earn a title shot, only to see his booking against Gilbert Melendez evaporate twice after the champion pulled out due to injury.

Miller has proven himself as one of the UFC’s stoutest lightweight talents, earning 11 wins in 14 Octagon appearances, with his only losses coming to current champion Benson Henderson and former title challengers Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard. Miller last competed on Dec. 29, taking a bloody unanimous decision over Joe Lauzon at UFC 155. Though the New Jersey native is just 2-2 in his last four outings, he won seven straight UFC bouts from July 2009 to March 2011 before running into Henderson at UFC Live 5.