The UFC today added a featherweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Estevan Payan to the upcoming UFC 166 card, according to a report from Jeremy Botter of The Houston Chronicle. The bout will be added to the preliminary card of UFC 166, one of the most stacked events the UFC has offered up all year. The fight, at least on paper, appears to be a huge mismatch and it’s more the UFC doing a favor for Oliveira by matching him up with a lesser opponent to try and get him a win. Oliveira is coming off a FOTN loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 162, but Edgar is one of the P4P best in the sport and Oliveira was quite competitive in the match. Payan, meanwhile, was absolutely steamrolled by Jeremy Stephens at UFC 160 in his UFC debut. Oliveira will open as the favorite in this fight and the only question is how much of a fav. I would guess Oliveira opens at -500 with the comeback around +400 on Payan in a fight that likely won’t go the distance. Stephens vs. Jason Targeted For October Brazil Event Another fight that was announced today is a featherweight bout between Jeremy Stephens and Rony Jason, which is set to go down at an October UFC event in Brazil, according to MMAweekly.com. Both fighters are coming off of big wins, Stephens over Payan at UFC 160 and Jason over Mike Wilkinson at UFC on FUEL TV 10. This is an extremely competitive fight on paper and I expect it to open close a Pick ’em when the lines are released. Right now I am slightly leaning Stephens because I believe he is the better fighter but remember the fight is in Brazil so unless Stephens gets a stoppage he could be in trouble if the fight hits the cards, but I honestly believe he has what it takes to finish Jason and I’m really looking forward to this match.
