It has been a long road for Alan Belcher to get back into the octagon, but it appears that that road has ended.

Sherdog.com announced on Thursday that “The Talent” will make his long-awaited return at UFC Fight Night Live on Sept. 17 in New Orleans when he takes on UFC veteran, Jason MacDonald.

Belcher, 27, has not competed in the Octagon since May 8, 2010. “The Talent” has been recovering from a detached retina that put his fighting career in doubt. Now back to full strength, Belcher looks to continue his two-fight winning streak that he began in December 2009 by knocking out Wilson Gouveia before submitting Patrick Cote six months later at UFC 113.

Like his opponent, MacDonald was also shelved for an extended period of time following an injury. “The Athlete” suffered a gruesome broken leg in his UFC 113 bout against John Salter, taking nearly a year off before returning at UFC 129 to submit Ryan Jensen with a triangle choke.

Belcher had fought his way into the top 10 of the UFC middleweight division after beating fighters like Denis Kang, Gouveia, and Cote while also losing a controversial decision to Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Belcher was scheduled to fight Demian Maia last fall but his eye injury forced him away from competition. He will now look to get back into the top 10 picture with a win over MacDonald.