David Terrell vs. Ed Herman Official for UFC 78

Former UFC middleweight contender David Terrell (6-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will return to the organization after a nearly 18-month layoff to take on “The Ultimate Fighter 3” middleweight runner-up Ed Herman (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 78.

UFC 78 takes place Nov. 17 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Cesar Gracie, who awarded Terrell a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, recently confirmed the rumored fight on his site, GracieFighter.com.

The upcoming bout will be Terrell’s first since an April 2006 victory over Scott Smith at UFC 59. The 29-year-old fighter made his Octagon debut at UFC 49 with an upset victory over Matt Lindland. The little-known Terrell knocked out the MMA veteran in just 24 seconds and instantly earned a title shot for the vacant middleweight belt. However, Terrell suffered a first-round TKO to Evan Tanner at the UFC 51 event.

After the victory over Smith, Terrell dealt with an assortment of injuries. He was slated to face Yushin Okami at UFC 62 — and again at UFC 66 — but had to pull out of both fights with injuries.

He’ll now take on Herman. After dropping a unanimous decision to Kendall Grove in The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale, Herman suffered another loss to Jason MacDonald. However, the Team Quest fighter has since posted victories over Chris Price and Smith.

UFC 78 is currently without a main event, though a rematch between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans is the frontrunner for headliner status.