After a disappointing loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 159 earlier this year, Alan Belcher is seeking a return to the Octagon before the year is out.

There's a twist, though.

Coming off back-to-back losses, "The Talent" is looking to pump a breath of fresh air into his struggling mixed martial arts (MMA) career by returning to the Light Heavyweight division, a weight class in which he has not competed since 2007.

Ariel Helwani reported news of Belcher's expected departure from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight division on Tuesday's (July 30, 2013) edition of FUEL TV's "UFC Tonight."

Belcher (18-8) is currently on the first two-fight skid of his 15-fight UFC career. The 29-year-old is one of the longest tenured fighters on the roster; however, after a four-fight run of wins that had many people pegging him as a future title contender, Belcher was defeated by Yushin Okami and Michael Bisping in consecutive outings, killing any momentum he may have had in the weight class.

Perhaps Belcher feels the additional 20 pounds of weight will help him perform better in his next fight, although it's difficult to tell since he has not had a fight in the division since a first-round submission of Sean Salmon at UFC 71 in May 2007.

No potential opponents for Belcher's next trip to the Octagon have been mentioned at this time, but stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details as they become available.