Ex-champ Dominick Cruz meets Casey Kenney at UFC 259 in March

Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz is expected to meet Casey Kenney in what will be his first non-title bout in more than six years.

Cruz (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), a former UFC and WEC bantamweight titleholder, is expected to face Kenney (16-2-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a 135-pound matchup at March’s UFC 259 event.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking but requested anonymity since UFC has yet to officially announce the matchup.

UFC 259 takes place March 6. The location, venue and broadcast plans for the card have not been revealed.

Cruz, 35, most recently competed at UC 249 in May, where he suffered a loss to then-champ Henry Cejudo. The fight marked his return to the octagon more than three years after losing UFC gold to Cody Garbrandt in December 2016 at UFC 207.

Cruz has fought just 10 times in the past 10 year, with all but one of those being championship bouts under the UFC or now-defunct WEC banner.

Kenney, 29, will get an opportunity to make his name at Cruz’s expense in what will be his seventh UFC appearance. Kenney has lost just once inside the octagon and has momentum on his side after picking up two wins in a three-week stretch against Nathaniel Wood and Heili Alateng in October.

The latest UFC 259 lineup now includes

• Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos
• Askar Askarov vs. Joseph Benavidez
• Randy Costa vs. Trevin Jones
• Aalon Cruz vs. Uros Medic
• Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney