Looks like one the most respected heavyweights in the fight game finally has a return date and an opponent in mind.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira looks to get back on track with a match up with fringe top 10 heavyweight Stefan Struve at UFC 168 on December 28, according to Ariel Helwani on the latest edition of UFC Tonight.

After posting a rock solid 18-3-1 record under the PRIDE banner, “Minotauro” won three in a row inside the Octagon between December 2006 and February 2008, capturing the Interim UFC Heavyweight Title.

However, since that time, “Big Nog” has went just 3-4 in his past seven fights, most recently getting submitted by contender Fabricio Werdum at UFC on FUEL 10 in June.

Meanwhile, the seven-foot “Skyscraper” looked like a dark horse title contender after rattling off four straight wins, all finishes, between October 2011 and September 2012.

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old fight veteran, he was brutally knocked out by Mark Hunt at UFC on FUEL 8 in March, suffering a broken jaw in the process.

Shortly after he had surgery to repair the injury, Struve said he would love to fight Nogueira next.

Nogueira was receptive to the idea and has now mentioned a potential event for the bout.

The potential heavyweight scrap looks like a grappling war on paper, as Nogueira has earned 21 of his 34 career victories by way of submission, while Struve has won 16 of his 25 wins via tap out.