EXCITING Australian light-heavyweight Tyson Pedro will return to the Octagon at UFC 209 in March, taking on Scotsman Paul Craig.

The bout will see Pedro fulfil a lifelong ambition and fight in Las Vegas for the first time.

“It’s been my dream to fight in Vegas,” Pedro said.

“I’m just ticking stuff off the bucket list at the moment, first it was making the UFC, then getting the win and now it’s off to Vegas, where I’ve been watching people fight since I was a kid. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

media_camera Pedro defeated Khalil Rountree in his UFC debut.

The 25-year old Sydney product is fresh off an impressive victory in his UFC debut, where he survived an early knockdown to submit American Khalil Roundtree in the first round.

That calmness under pressure is something he’ll bring into the fight with Craig despite the added pressures of fighting overseas and on a more high-profile card.

“It’s just another fight for me,” Pedro said.

“I wasn’t too surprised with anything because it’s like any other fight. It’s when you start making it bigger than it is that the nerves start taking over”

Pedro admits he didn’t watch Craig’s first outing in the UFC, a second-round submission victory over Luis Henrique da Silva, but predicts he’ll be able to control the fight wherever it goes.

media_camera Craig was also victorious in his UFC debut.

Both Pedro (5-0) and Craig (9-0) are unbeaten in their professional careers with all 14 of their combined victories coming via stoppage.

Fellow Australian Mark Hunt will also appear on the card against Alistair Overeem but the main event is yet to be announced.