Grizzled and well traveled mixed martial arts veteran Aaron Riley (27-10-1) will tangle with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 participant Shane Nelson (11-3) at UFC 96 from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7.

Riley returned to the Octagon against Jorge Gurgel at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” in November 2008, scoring a thrilling (and tight) three round unanimous decision.

It earned “Fight of the Night” honors, which is quite a statement considering the “biggest fight in UFC history” between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar was the featured fight of the night.

Riley has competed in Pride FC, Bodog and the International Fight League (IFL), among others, taking on some of the best in the business. He sports notable losses to Robbie Lawler, Spencer Fisher, Chris Lytle and Eddie Alvarez. And even though he did not come out victorious in those contests, the experience factor alone makes him a dangerous opponent.

His losses to Lawler and Fisher were under the UFC banner, dating back several years. Riley is currently riding a three-fight win streak.

Nelson — who trains under UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn — notched his first win inside the Octagon again cast mate George Roop at TUF 8 Finale via split decision last month.

Prior to his stint on the Spike TV-produced reality series, Nelson competed primarily close to home under promotions such as X-1 and Rumble on the Rock. He was knocked out of the eight-man tournament-style TUF show by eventual 155-pound season winner, Efrain Escudero.

To check out the latest UFC 96 fight card, which currently is awaiting a main event, as well as rumors for the show click here.