Gallery Photos: Best of Francis Ngannou view 19 images

After headlining the promotion’s debut on FOX in 2011, it appears Cain Velasquez will also help usher in the UFC’s new era on ESPN in February.

The former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez (14-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) is touted to make his return to the octagon after more than two years when he meets knockout specialist Francis Ngannou (12-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 1 headliner.

MMAjunkie verified that the matchup between Ngannou and Velasquez is in the works for card with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN.com. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

UFC on ESPN 1 takes place Feb. 17 at Talking Stick Resort & Casino in Phoenix, Ariz. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

Ngannou, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, is coming off a crucial victory for his career against Curtis Blaydes in he UFC Fight Night 141 main event in November. After going on a tear in the division to a title fight, Ngannou lost definitively to then-champ Stipe Miocic at UFC 220 in January. He followed that up with a forgettable effort against Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 in July.

With his stock at an all-time low, Ngannou, 32, needed just 45 seconds to tear through Blaydes for a first-round TKO to put himself back on track.

“The Predator” will attempt to play spoiler for the return of Velasquez, 36, who hasn’t fought since a first-round TKO of Travis Browne at UFC 200 in July 2016. The former two-time heavyweight titleholder has fought just twice in the past five years due to a plethora of injuries, but apparently has been healthy for a while in hopes of making a return to the octagon. Velasquez’s team hinted that contract negotiations had hit a stall with the UFC brass and that was preventing his comeback, but now it seems all those issues have been sorted, clearing the way for his return against Ngannou.

The latest UFC on ESPN 1 card now includes:

Francis Ngannou vs. Cain Velasquez

Jimmie Rivera vs. Aljamain Sterling

Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Lauren Murphy

Jodie Esquibel vs. Jessica Penne

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Cortney Casey

Paul Felder vs. James Vick

Alexandra Albu vs. Emily Whitmire

Manny Bermudez vs. Benito Lopez

Alex Caceres vs. Kron Gracie

Andre Fili vs. Myles Jury

Scott Holtzman vs. Nik Lentz

For more on UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.