Former NFL star Greg Hardy will return to action against fan favourite Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264 on July 10.

GIVEMESPORT confirmed with a source with knowledge of the matchup that Hardy (7-3, 1 NC) and Tuivasa (11-3) are on a collision course for a clash of heavyweight prospects, following an initial report from Combat Sports Insider. 

Hardy then took to social media to confirm he has signed his contract to fight Tuivasa in a three-round bout scheduled for the card headlined by the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

The 32-year-old American fighter, a former defensive end for Dallas Cowboys, has not fought since he suffered a knockout defeat to Marcin Tybura in December of last year. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak, including wins over Yorgan de Castro and Maurice Greene. He lost to Tybura via TKO in the second round. 

Tuivasa, the source says, had verbally agreed to the fight a few weeks ago. The 28-year-old Australian, who trains at TK MMA & Fitness with Dan Hooker, Brendan Loughnane and Tarek Suleiman, is coming off an emphatic victory over Harry Hunsucker at UFC on ESPN 21 on March 20. 

Hardy will be looking to secure his first win inside the Octagon since October, while Tuivasa will hope to extend his winning streak to three in a row. He suffered his third consecutive loss in the UFC back in October 2019, in the form of a second-round submission to fellow prospect Sergey Spivak. Since that setback, however, 'Bam Bam' has bounced back with back-to-back victories over Hunsucker and Stefan Struve.