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UFC lightweight Norman Parke. AP/Press Association Images

Antrim's Norman Parke has been booked for a tough fight at UFC Dublin

His opponent returns after spending 14 months in prison.

NORMAN PARKE WILL be looking to return to winning ways in Dublin on 24 October.

The 28-year-old lightweight, who hails from Bushmills in Antrim, will take on Reza Madadi at UFC Fight Night 77 at the 3Arena, according to The Sun.

Parke had been undefeated for five years up until this past January. A loss to Gleison Tibau was followed by another against Francisco Trinaldo — both of which came via split decision — in May.

Prior to that, the Ultimate Fighter winner had started his UFC career with an impressive run of four wins and one draw.

Parke’s opponent, Madadi, will be fighting for the first time since April 2013, having been released from prison earlier this year after serving 14 months for burglary.

The Iranian-born veteran is a team-mate of UFC light-heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson at the Allstars gym in Stockholm, Sweden.

Madadi holds a 2-1 record in the UFC (13-3 overall). His most impressive win came in his last outing when he submitted Michael Johnson, who’s now ranked fifth in the UFC’s lightweight division.

In spite of Madadi’s three career losses, the 37-year-old has never been stopped inside the distance. Eight of his 13 wins have come by way of submission.

With many more bouts still to be announced, here’s how the UFC Dublin card looks so far:

Joseph Duffy vs. Dustin Poirier
Norman Parke vs. Reza Madadi
Cathal Pendred vs. Tom Breese
Scott Askham vs. Krzysztof Jotko

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Author
Paul Dollery
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