Over seven years after he made his UFC debut, veteran MMA fighter and trainer, Jeff Curran is returning to the Octagon, as MMA Junkie reports that the "Big Frog" has signed a new contract to fight at bantamweight:

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned of the signing from sources close to the fighter.

He's expected to fight at a fall UFC event.

Curran, with a record of 33-13-1, is a true pioneer of the lighter weight classes, having fought professionally since 1998, and with fights on his resume against the cream of the crop at featherweight and bantamweight: Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Joseph Benavidez, Hatsu Hioki, Antonio Carvalho, Rafael Assuncao, Matt Serra, Norifumi Yamamoto, and Ivan Menjivar.

The BJJ black belt's lone UFC fight took place at UFC 46 in January of 2004, where he dropped a decision to Matt Serra. More recently, Curran has competed in his hometown XFO promotion in Chicago, as well as in Bellator, where he has coached his younger cousin Pat to great success both at lightweight and now at featherweight.

There's no word yet on an opponent or date for Curran's sophomore UFC fight, but we'll keep you updated when that news breaks.