Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy looks set to return to action on May 26th, as verbal agreements are in place for the Nottingham man to meet Duane "Bang" Ludwig at UFC 146.

Hardy took a hiatus after losing his fourth fight in a row against Chris Lytle in August, and he's in a 'must-win' scenario to keep his contract, making the bout pivotal in his career.

After fighting his way to a title shot against Georges St-Pierre -- in which he lost via lopsided unanimous decision -- Hardy has been bettered by Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson and the aforementoned Lytle.

Although the calibre of opponent has been high, four losses in a row usually signals marching orders under the Zuffa banner. However, Hardy's marketability and style has seen him handed another chance, and that will come against "Bang".

Ludwig was having somewhat of a resurgence since returning to welterweight. He defeated Brit Nick Osipczak via split decision and then beat Amir Sadollah on the undercard of the Hardy vs. Lytle bout.

In his last bout against the tough Josh Neer, he was in control and handing out some punishment before getting over zealous and getting caught in a guillotine (as he told Your MMA Radio here).

The loss was a hard one to take, but Ludwig was adamant he wanted to return as quickly as possible.

He gets his wish as he will fight on the Vegas card in May, and it should be an exciting matchup with both men primarily preferring the stand-up game.

Earlier this week Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann was added to the card, which is expected to be headlined by the heavyweight title fight between Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos.

Stay tuned to @YourMMA on Twitter and Facebook for all of the coverage.