Britain's Brett Johns will compete in the 2024 Professional Fighters League regular season.
Johns, 32, has been selected to compete in a featherweight mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament, with the winner of each division set to receive a $1 million (£790,000) prize.
His first fight will be on April 19th in Chicago, Illinois against Russia's Timur Khizuriyev.
“This is a huge step forward in the sport. I'm not naive,” the Welshman told BBC Sport.
“This is a chance to get me and my family back on our feet.”
Johns defeated David Tonatiu Kroll in December and is on a three-fight winning streak.
He said he missed the “regular fighting activities” allowed by the PFL tournament.
“As a fighter, I feel like I've been a very inactive fighter over the last few years or since I signed with the UFC,” Johns added.
“Going back to 2012, I think I fought about eight times, and last year I fought once. So I’m happy to be back in action.”
Jones, from Swansea, could fight four times between April and December.
Fellow Briton Dakota Ditcheva has already been named to compete in the women's flyweight tournament.
“I think featherweight will be a good decision given the format of the tournament,” Johns said.
“In mixed martial arts, there are some big weights you cut to get to your contract weight.
“Losing weight will be a big factor and I feel being a smaller fighter this time around may be an advantage in the long run.”
Illinois becomes the eighth U.S. state Johns has fought in during his storied MMA career, and he is relishing the prospect.
