UFC 200: 'Haunted' Brock Lesnar announces he will fight Mark Hunt on July 9

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is making his mixed martial arts (MMA) return in the UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, which is scheduled for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., July 9, 2016.

And he'll do it against Mark Hunt.

Lesnar (5-3) has been out of action for nearly five years, suffering back-to-back technical knockout losses to Cain Velasquez (UFC 121) and Alistair Overeem (UFC 141), compounding his existing struggles with diverticulitis. Those losses -- as well as his decision to not re-sign in 2015 -- "haunted" him on a daily basis.

Now he's back and that makes UFC President Dana White very, very happy.

Hunt (12-10-1), meanwhile, rebounded from a two-fight skid to score thunderous knockout victories over Antonio Silva (UFC 193) and Frank Mir (UFC Fight Night 85). The "Super Samoan" is currently ranked No. 8 in the division (see the top 10 here).

Grappler vs. striker, just like the old days!

Today's news comes on the heels of a wild and wacky weekend in combat sports, which also featured Michael Bisping's stunning knockout win over Luke Rockhold (replay). As for Lesnar, he was granted a one-off opportunity by his pro wrestling superiors in WWE and will hopefully make the most of it.

So ... early predictions on this heavyweight showdown?