Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will lock horns with HDNet Fights and Art of War veteran Justin Howard in a featured bout at King of Kombat 7 “Judgment Day” on Saturday at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas.

Rodriguez has won seven of his last nine fights, including a rear-naked choke submission victory against John Brown at a Reality Combat show in July. The 32-year-old has not been finished since succumbing to strikes against Tim Sylvia at UFC 41 in February 2003. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling world champion, Rodriguez has struggled with weight and substance abuse issues throughout his career. He has delivered more than half (21) of his 36 career wins by submission and holds victories against UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former UFC heavyweight titleholder Andrei Arlovski and American Top Team’s Jeff Monson.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will collide with American Top Team’s Mario Rinaldi in the main event at World Fighting Championships “Battle of the Bay 8” on July 10 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

The 31-year-old Rodriguez (34-10), who has not been finished in more than six years, has rattled off five wins in six fights, though he dropped a unanimous decision to Rinaldi’s ATT stablemate, Jeff Monson, at a Mixed Fighting Alliance event in December. The troubled Rodriguez, who has battled substance abuse and weight issues throughout his career, remains one of the heavyweight division’s most accomplished submission fighters.