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LONDON - Matt Hughes during the UFC "Brawl in the Royal Albert Hall", in 2002.

New York - The former UFC welterweight champion has verbally agreed to face Diego Sanchez in the fall, the organization announced on Thursday. No exact date or location has been announced for the fight.

Hughes (45-8) is coming off a 21-second knockout loss to BJ Penn at UFC 123 in November. The shocking defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak for the 37-year-old fighter. After the fight, Hughes talked about wanting some time off to evaluate his future in the sport, and it appears as though he believes he still has some fight left in him.

Sanchez (23-4) won a controversial unanimous decision against Martin Kampmann at UFC on Versus 3 in March. Many fans and pundits believed "The Dream" didn't do enough to win the bout.

The win marked Sanchez's second in a row and improved his record to 2-1 since moving back up to welterweight.

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