Gilbert Melendez will make his long awaited return to the Octagon and do so in the "Great White North".

Per report from Damon Martin, "El Nino" will stamp his comeback, and his featherweight debut, against Jeremy Stephens at UFC 215 in Edmonton, Alberta. Not only will his fight against the heavy-handed Iowa native mark his first in the 145-pound fold, but come at a crucial juncture of his career.

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The former Strikeforce lightweight champion has faced rough waters since crossing over to the UFC in 2013 as Melendez has found success in only one of his five showings inside the Octagon. Furthermore, Melendez has dropped three straight showings with his most recent loss coming in a hard fought scrap against Edson Barboza at UFC on Fox 20 last July in Chicago.

A victory over Stephens could help right the ship for the former longtime titleholder where a fourth consecutive loss would most likely cost him his job with the UFC.

And while "Lil Heathen" isn't at point critical like his opponent, Stephens certainly needs a victory of his own to turn things around after suffering back to back losses, and setbacks in three of his last four outings inside the cage.