Two new featherweight pairings have been added to the UFC 162 fight bill, as promotion officials Thursday revealed that Frankie Edgar will face Charles Oliveira and Cub Swanson will meet Dennis Siver.
Edgar, 31, has lost three straight fights against top-notch competition, relinquishing his UFC lightweight title to Benson Henderson one year ago before coming up short in his bid to recapture the belt last August. Most recently, Edgar made his featherweight debut against divisional ruler Jose Aldo, who topped Edgar in a hard-fought unanimous decision last month at UFC 156.
Once regarded as an elite lightweight prospect, Oliveira dropped to 145 pounds following a one-sided loss to Donald Cerrone in 2011. Since making the cut to featherweight, “Do Bronx” has gone 2-1, posting back-to-back wins over Eric Wisely and Jonathan Brookins prior to suffering a first-round knockout to Swanson this past September.
Swanson, meanwhile, extended his winning streak to four fights following his win over Oliveira, as the Jackson’s MMA product outpointed replacement opponent Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fuel TV 7 after Siver pulled out of the Feb. 16 booking. Swanson, 29, has not lost since November 2011, when he was submitted by Lamas in his Octagon debut.
Like Oliveira, Siver also made the cut to featherweight following a loss to Cerrone and has gone undefeated since, earning a solid unanimous decision over Diego Nunes nearly one year ago before dominating Nam Phan this past December at UFC on Fox 5.