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50-year-old former UFC champion Maurice Smith returning to action

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(Former UFC champion Maurice Smith)

Former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith will return to action at 50 years old. According to MMAJunkie, he has signed to face Kyle Keeney at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2, which takes place March 30 at the Viaero Event Center in Kearney, Neb.

Smith becomes one of the many MMA athletes to compete at an advanced age like Dan Severn or Skip Hall.

The former champion won the UFC heavyweight title with a decision victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 14. He defended the belt once with a submission victory over Tank Abbott at UFC 15, before dropping the belt to Randy Couture. Smith has also picked up victories over Marco Ruas, Rick Roufus and Branko Cikatic.

Keeney is looking to stop a losing streak after back-to-back losses in 2011. Prior to that, he had won three-straight fights over Jared Torgeson, Matt Kovacs and Josh Bennett. His overall record currently stands at 12-7.

The main event of Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2 features a bout between UFC veterans Houston Alexander and Gilbert Yvel.