Michel Pereira's former opponent Tristan Connelly will return to action on April 24 against promotional newcomer Pat Sabatini at UFC 261. 

Freshly recovered from successful neck surgery, Connelly (14-6) has accepted a short-notice opportunity to face Sabatini in a three-round featherweight bout.

MMA Junkie were the first to report the news that both fighters have verbally agreed to the matchup ahead of the event that is scheduled to take place later this month.

Connelly has not fought since he pulled off a stunning upset on his debut with a unanimous decision over highly touted prospect Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 158 in September 2019.  

The 35-year-old Canadian fighter subsequently underwent surgery on an injury suffered in a car accident, which ruled him out of action for over a year-and-a-half. 

Now he'll get the chance to show what he can do at his natural weight class as Connelly faces off with Sabatini, who is the former CFFC featherweight champion. 

Sabatini (13-3) is unbeaten in five of his past six fights, with his most recent loss the result of an arm injury he suffered in February of last year. Despite this latest setback, he bounced back with back-to-back victories over Jordan Titoni and Jesse Stirn. 

The 30-year-old American was expected to fight Rafael Alves at UFC Fight Night 185 in February but was unable able to compete when Alves missed weight by 11.5 pounds. 

A rematch between UFC welterweight champion Kamara Usman and Jorge Masvidal is scheduled to headline the event, which will take place on April 24 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.