Perennial UFC heavyweight contender “Big” Ben Rothwell will return to the octagon for the first time in nearly three years in March of 2019.

According to Bulgarian MMA website MMA.bg, Ben Rothwell will square off with former Bellator champion Blagoy Ivanov in March.

The bout was later confirmed by MMAJunkie, however a date and venue for the fight has not been revealed as of this time.

Ben Rothwell (36-10 MMA) was last seen in action in April of 2016 where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to former division kingpin Junior dos Santos.

Prior to his setback to “JDS“, Rothwell had put together an impressive four-fight win streak which included stoppage victories over Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione, Brandon Vera and Josh Barnett.

Ben Rothwell was slated to fight former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 211 in May of 2017, however that bout was cancelled after “Big Ben” received a two-year suspension from USADA after failing a drug test for an “anabolic androgenic steroid of exogenous origin.”

Meanwhile, Blagoy Ivanov (16-2 MMA) is also coming off a unanimous decision loss to the aforementioned Junior dos Santos in his most recent octagon appearance this past July.

The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for the Bulgarian.

Who do you think will emerge victorious when Ben Rothwell and Blagoy Ivanov square off inside the octagon this March? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation!