It will soon be more than a year since Brennan Ward last stepped into the cage and when he does it will be against a fellow standup specialist also coming off of a long layoff.

On Monday, officials announced a middleweight bout between Ward (14-6) and Andre Fialho (9-1) for Bellator 207, which takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Oct. 12.

This will be Ward’s first fight since August 2017. “The Irish Bad Boy” was scheduled to fight David Rickels last October at Bellator 185, but he withdrew after suffering an undisclosed injury. A one-time middleweight title challenger who has also competed at welterweight, Ward faces an uphill climb back to contention having lost three of his last four bouts all by way of knockout or submission.

Fialho, 24, is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career, a split decision over veteran A.J. Matthews at Bellator 181 last July. It was the first decision win for the Portuguese fighter after finishing eight of nine opponents to begin his pro career.

Combined, Ward and Fialho have 16 knockout wins.

Bellator 207 is scheduled to be headlined by a Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix semifinal bout between Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader.