Kiwi welterweight Luke Jumeau will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Dhiego Lima at UFC 243 in Melbourne on October 6.

Jumeau's bout is just the third to be confirmed for the blockbuster event so far, which will be headlined by Israel Adesanya's middleweight title unification clash with Robert Whittaker.

'The Jedi' hasn't fought since his unanimous decision win over Daichi Abe back in February 2018, where he suffered a broken hand that has since denied him the chance to capitalise on that momentum, re-injuring it before his originally scheduled return against Geoff Neal in December 2018.

But the Hamiltonian believes those setbacks were a blessing in disguise, having allowed him to tend to some weaknesses and upgrade his all-round skillset, which he's now eager to test drive.

"I've just stayed positive," Jumeau told Newshub. "We've worked on heaps of holes in my game. I'm sharper than I've ever been, I'm stronger than I've ever been, I just can't wait. The hunger is back in full force."

Spotlights don't come any brighter than the one that will be shining on the Victorian capital on October 6, where an anticipated capacity crowd of 60,000 at Marvel Stadium will set a new UFC attendance record.

The card is still in its formative stages but should ultimately have a distinctly Australasian flavour to it. Further to the NZ v Australia main act, Sydney's Tai Tuivasa has also been confirmed to take on Sergey Spivak. Dan Hooker is chasing a spot on the back of his emphatic performance in San Antonio, and Kai Kara-France and Shane Young have registered interest. Featherweight contender Alexander Volkanovski's bout against the winner of Max Holloway v Frankie Edgar is also strongly rumoured to be added.