While speaking to tatame.com.br, Ricardo Arona said that he is really close to a deal with the UFC to return sometime near the end of the year.

Arona, who was considered near the top of the light heavyweight division in PRIDE, has been out in the wild ever since the promotion shut shop. Arona, who holds notable wins over fighters such as Alistair Overeem, Wanderlei Silva, Sakuraba, Dan Henderson and others last fought in Brazil in the Bitetti Combat league winning an Unanimous Decision over Marvin Eastman.

Whether this news is on the heels of a “win some more and you’re in” directive from the UFC or something more concrete is something we’ll have to wait and watch.