Ever since Nick Diaz bolted for greener pastures under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner, Strikeforce has been operating its welterweight division without a 170-pound champion.

Until now.

A report from MMA Weekly has former UFC Middleweight Nate Marquardt, who was bounced from the promotion in mid-2011 prior to making his welterweight debut, taking on undefeated division standout Tyron Woodley this July at a location to be named.

It will be the first "Great" fight in over a year.

That's because Marquardt was riding the pine while flirting with the UK's BAMMA organization following his fiasco at UFC on Versus 4, a transgression severe enough to earn him his walking papers, albeit temporarily.

Now he's back under the ZUFFA umbrella and we'll finally get to see what he can do at 170-pounds.

But it won't be easy.

Woodley has stifled the opposition since his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in early 2009. The two-time NCAA Division I All-American has been successful in getting his opponents to the mat and keeping them there, which could present problems for Marquardt who is undoubtedly giving up some degree of size and strength to make the welterweight limit.

Time will tell.

With the exception of a middleweight mash-up that pits Keith Jardine vs. Roger Gracie, no other bouts have been announced for the upcoming fight card in July, which will air on Showtime (main card) and Showtime Extreme (prelims).

As always, stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this event as they become available.