Ten months after losing his bantamweight championship, Dominick Cruz has agreed to make his return on Dec. 30 at UFC 219, UFC announced on Wednesday.

Cruz (22-2), considered the greatest 135-pound fighter in MMA history, will complete a one-year layoff when he faces top contender Jimmie Rivera (21-1), who is unbeaten in UFC and rides an incredible 20-fight win streak.

The 32-year-old Cruz will look to bounce back from a clear decision loss to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 last December. The defeat was his first in 13 bouts dating back to a submission loss to Urijah Faber at WEC 26 in 2007.

After fighting just once between 2012 and 2015 because of a devastating string of major injuries, Cruz made three appearances in 2016 and briefly regained his former titleby outpointing TJ Dillashaw by split decision.

Rivera, 28, is 5-0 with UFC and fresh off a pair of impressive decision wins over Faber and Thomas Almeida.

The fight has the potential to be a real crossroads' affair as Cruz looks to bounce back and preserve his status as a pound-for-pound elite against the upstart Rivera. A victory could put the winner on the verge of a title shot against the winner of Cruz-Dillashaw on Nov. 4 at UFC 217 in New York.

UFC 219, which takes place New Year's weekend in Las Vegas, is expected to be among the promotion's biggest events of the year. Although a main event has yet to be announced, UFC also added a quality women's strawweight bout to the card between Cynthia Calvillo and former