If good things come to those who wait, then Canadian David Loiseau has received his ultimate reward.

After some hard-fought battles to regain his place among the UFC middleweight elite, Loiseau (18-8) will return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit, perhaps as early as UFC 97 in Montreal in April.

The Montreal-based fighter, known as "The Crow", was released by the UFC in September 2006 after a loss to Mike Swick in UFC 63. Since then, he compiled a 4-2 record outside the UFC and is rumoured to be matched with Ed (Short Fuse) Herman (14-7) when the UFC returns to the Bell Centre on April 18.

"It was a tough, long road back, but it was all worth it" Loiseau told Sportsnet.ca. "It’s great to be back where I belong."

For Loiseau, returning to the UFC – this will be his third stint with the premier MMA circuit - and possibly fighting at home is a welcomed level of stress that he said is a welcome challenge.

"It’s not pressure; it’s motivation," said Loiseau, who hopes to duplicate the home-town victory of his friend, Montreal’s George St-Pierre, who became the undisputed welterweight champion when he defeated Matt Serra in April 2008 at the Bell Centre, the UFC’s first foray into Canada.

Loiseau knows that there will be critics of his return to the UFC, but unlike in the past, he is keeping his words to a minimum.

"I don’t care what people think," he said.