The planned welterweight contest between Rory MacDonald and BJ Penn has a new date.

After MacDonald was forced to pull out of the bout that is set for next month, MMAjunkie.com confirmed with sources on Friday that the UFC is targeting UFC on Fox 5 for the fight.

The event is set to take place December 8, with the MacDonald-Penn bout serving as the co-main event likely.

MMA Uncensored host Nate Quarry first mentioned word of the pending fight late Thursday night.

Penn, a former UFC champion, announced his retirement last year. He decided the match up with MacDonald was enough to come out of it, as he wanted the chance to prove himself against a member of the Tristar Gym.

MacDonald suffered a deep cut during training after being hit and requiring nearly 40 stitches. He cannot train for a month while the wound heals, thus the reason for taking the fight off the planned card.

Photo credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting