Promotion officials announced on Thursday that the featherweight pairing will go down at UFC 166. The Oct. 19 card, which takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston, features a heavyweight title tilt between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
A former lightweight, Oliveira has lost his last two bouts at 145 pounds, falling to Cub Swanson via first-round knockout at UFC 152 before dropping a unanimous verdict to Edgar in July. “Do Bronx” defeated Eric Wisely and Jonathan Brookins in his first two featherweight appearances.
A two-time Strikeforce veteran, Payan lost to Jeremy Stephens in his Octagon debut, losing a bloody unanimous decision at UFC 160. That setback ended an eight-fight unbeaten streak for the Arizona Combat Sports product.
view original article >>