Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson 2, Koscheck vs. Daley 2 set for Bellator event in London

Kimbo Slice is set to make his return to the Bellator MMA cage against James Thompson July 16 in London.

The bout and the event were both announced Sunday evening by Bellator MMA president Scott Coker on SportsCenter. The promotion is also targeting a rematch between welterweights Paul Daley and Josh Koscheck at the same event, which will take place at the O2 Arena.

The match between Slice and Thompson serves as a rematch of a 2008 affair under the Elite XC banner – Slice's coming out party for the majority of mainstream MMA fans.

This bout marked the first ever showcase of MMA on prime-time television. Slice eventually won the fight via TKO in the third round, but the majority of the attention post-fight centered around Thompson's ear.

The British fighter strolled into the fight with a serious case of cauliflower ear, and the appendage ruptured after eating some leather courtesy of Slice's fists in Round 3. The bout quickly turned gory, and the referee intervened soon after.

Slice (6-2) is 3-2 since that initial showdown against Thompson. Most recently, he defeated Dhafir Harris – better known as "Dada 5000" – at Bellator 149 in February via TKO.

After the fight, Slice tested positive for the steroid nandrolone, as reported by MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi. He also showed an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio in a pre-fight sample. He was suspended 90 days for these infractions. Coker told SportsCenter Slice was suspended 90 days after failing a drug test administered in February, making him eligible to fight again by the July date.

Thompson (20-16, one no-contest), meanwhile, is riding a two-fight losing streak. The longtime heavyweight combatant has lost back-to-back bouts via TKO, most recently falling to  Tsuyoshi Kosaka at Rizin Fighting Federation's inaugural event in December 2015.

Daley and Koscheck previously fought at UFC 113, where Koscheck famously took home a unanimous decision and got sucker-punched by Daley after the final bell in Round 3. That punch led to Daley's UFC release.

Recently, however, the two have enjoyed opposite career arcs.

Daley has won five straight, four coming via knockout, while Koscheck has lost five in a row, four via knockout or submission. Koscheck will make his Bellator debut at the event.