In what would be his first trip back into the Octagon since a close decision loss to Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) in March of this year, B.J. Penn (Pictures) has verbally agreed to square off against Japanese Shooto veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka (Pictures), Sherdog.com has learned.

Sources close to Penn’s camp stated that the fight, pending signed bout agreements, would take place on the October 10 UFC Fight Night card in Hollywood, Fla.

Penn (10-3-1) recently stated his goal of capturing the 155-, 170- and 185-pound titles in the UFC, and returns to the cage in the welterweight division.

Standing across from him will be the tough Hironaka (10-2), who has tasted defeat only once — Shinya Aoki (Pictures) stopped him via cut this past November — in the past four plus years.

In his last two fights, Hironaka submitted Team Quest fighter Ryan Shultz by armbar and finished Penn’s jiu-jitsu coach, Renato Verissimo (Pictures), with strikes.