Steve Cantwell vs. Cyril Diabate Agreed for UFC on Versus 3

Steve Cantwell

It’s been a long, hard road back for Steve Cantwell, but the journey will hopefully end with his comeback at UFC on Versus 3. The former WEC champion is on a collision course with Cyril Diabate in a light heavyweight bout on the card.

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the match-up on Wednesday with verbal agreements in place, but no contracts issued at this time. ESPN.com initially reported the bout.

Back-to-back losses have haunted Cantwell (7-3) for over a year now, simply because the Las Vegas based fighter has been forced to the sidelines with injuries. A medical condition forced him out of a bout in early 2010, and then another late injury put him out of his scheduled bout at UFC 120, as well.

Now healthy, Cantwell is hoping to get back to form when he returns to the UFC Octagon in March at UFC on Versus 3, currently rumored to take place in Louisville, Ky.

Looking to bounce back from a loss of his own, Diabate (16-7-1) is coming back from a defeat at the hands of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 120 in England.

Prior to that fight, Diabate had been on a six-fight winning streak including a TKO victory over Luis Cane.

The bout between Cantwell and Diabate will likely occupy a slot on the untelevised preliminary card for the show set to go down on March 3 on Versus.