Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett next fight and UFC date confirmed after injury

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett will return to the UFC to take on Tony Ferguson on December 16, Dana White has confirmed.

The Huyton-born Mixed Martial Artist will return octagon for the first time in nine months after controversially beating Jared Gordon. During that contest, which saw Pimblett move 4-0 in the UFC, the Liverpool fan suffered an ankle injury which saw him go under the knife three times - keeping him out of action for almost a year.

Pimblett returns to Las Vegas in an event which sees Birmingham-born Leon Edwards defend his welterweight title against Colby Covington.

It will be Pimblett's toughest test to date as he takes on the 39-year-old veteran. Ferguson is widely regarded as one of the best lightweights in the last 10 years, but the former interim UFC Lightweight Champion is currently on a six-fight losing streak after piecing together a 12-bout winning sequence.

Fighter regrets Paddy Pimblett call out at UFC London and aims for ‘MVP’ clash

Logan Paul calls for Paddy Pimblett in UFC debut on Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg undercard

His unbeaten run is a joint UFC record with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the longest record in the lightweight division and provides a stern opponent for Pimblett - who quickly established himself as one of the most promising prospects on the UFC roster.

White confirmed that The Baddy, who fights out of Next Generation MMA, will be back in action in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena, taking to Instagram, he said: "Another one (fight) you don't know about Paddy Pimblett vs Tony Ferguson.

"Paddy is on a six-fight win streak (not all in the UFC), five of those have come by finish, and Tony Ferguson is always exciting - the former interim champion in the lightweight division, this card is