[bears9]

Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner (32-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) will make his long-awaited return to the UFC against top middleweight contender Yushin Okami (21-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at UFC 84 in April.

The bout had been rumored for most of January, and confirmation finally came on Friday. MMAjunkie.com (UFC News & Rumors - MMA News - UFC Fighters - UFC Event Recaps and Previews - MMAjunkie.com) is still awaiting confirmation from Tanner’s camp, but a source close to the event confirmed that both fighters had accepted the bout.

UFC 84 takes place April 19 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. (The UFC will hold a press conference to officially announce the event on Feb. 4.) UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra meets interim champ and French-Canadian Georges St. Pierre in the night’s main event.

Tanner hasn’t fought in the UFC since April 2006, when he defeated Justin Levens via triangle choke at UFC 59. The victory halted a two-fight losing streak that begin immediately after he won the UFC’s 185-lb. title over Dave Terrell at UFC 51. The first loss came to Rich Franklin at UFC 53; the second was a TKO to David Loiseau at UFC Fight Night 2.

Evan Tanner vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 84 -- MMAjunkie.com