Report: Joey Villasenor set to return to EliteXC on Sept. 20; rematch with “Ninja” possibly on the horizon

MMA Junkie is reporting that middleweight Joey Villasenor is set to make his return to the EliteXC cage on Sept. 20 at a to be determined location against a to be determined opponent. Villasenor thinks the card could possibly in front of his home crowd and against a fighter, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, who he’s lost to once before:

“It sounds like it’s going to be in my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico,” Villasenor said. “We’re just waiting on confirmation of who it’s going to be (against).”

“They keep on bringing up Ninja’s name,” Villasenor said. “They’re bringing up other names, but Ninja is the one that is sticking out right now.”

A rematch against Rua would allow Villasenor the opportunity to avenge his only loss in the EliteXC organizaiton. The last time these two fought was in June of last year with Rua coming out on top with a second round TKO. Most recently Villasenor defeated Phil Baroni via TKO in round one and Rua toppled Tony Bonello in devastating fashion on the same card in May.

A win for either fighter would set up a possible rematch with current EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler. Lawler defeated Rua in September of last year to win the EliteXC middleweight championship. Villasenor dropped a fight against Lawler at PRIDE 32 in Las Vegas in 2006. Both men have a score to settle with the current champion and this fight could be billed as a #1 contender matchup in EliteXC’s middleweight division.