Estevan Payan

Estevan Payan (born April 3, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Payan has formerly competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, the World Series of Fighting, Bellator, Titan FC, and Shark Fights.
Background.
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Payan is a United States Army veteran. Payan had a rough upbringing, with drug-addicted parents. Upon graduating from Tolleson Union High School, Payan served three tours and seven years in Iraq, and left the Army having reached the rank of Staff Sergeant. It was during his time in the Army that Payan began martial arts training. Payan has six children.
Career.
Mixed martial arts career.
Bellator.
Estevan debuted for the promotion at its inaugural event, Bellator 1, where he won a split decision over Luis Palomino in the quarterfinal of the . Payan lost to Yahir Reyes via KO due to a spinning backfist at Bellator 6 as part of the tournament semifinal.
Strikeforce.
Estevan faced Alonzo Martinez in his Strikeforce debut on January 7, 2012 at , replacing an injured Bobby Green. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Payan was expected to face Mike Bravo on September 29, 2012 at . However, after headliner Gilbert Melendez was injured, the card was scrapped altogether.
Payan/Bravo eventually took place on the final Strikeforce card, , on January 12, 2013. Payan won the fight via TKO in the second round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Payan was brought over to the UFC after Strikeforce ceased operations in 2013, and made his UFC debut against Jeremy Stephens on May 25, 2013 at UFC 160. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Payan was expected to face Charles Oliveira on October 19, 2013 at UFC 166. However, on September 8, Payan was forced out of the bout citing a broken foot and was replaced by Jeremy Larsen.
Payan faced Robbie Peralta on December 28, 2013 at UFC 168. After a back-and-forth first two rounds, Payan lost via knockout early into the third round.
Payan was expected to face Sean Soriano at UFC on Fox 11. However, Soriano was forced to pull out due to injury and was briefly replaced by Mike Brown. Brown also dropped out of the bout with injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alex White. Payan lost to White by first-round TKO. After this loss, he was released from the UFC.
After being released from the UFC, Payan returned to the Rage In The Cage organization, where he would defeat Eric Regan via unanimous decision at Rage In The Cage 173 on August 9, 2014.
Return to Bellator.
Payan made his Bellator return on September 26, 2014 at Bellator 126 against Derek Campos. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
World Series of Fighting.
Payan made his World Series of Fighting debut against Jason High at on November 20, 2015. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.
Bare knuckle boxing.
Payan faced Omar Avelar at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event held on June 2, 2018. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Lethwei.
On September 19, 2020, Payan is scheduled to face former Glory Kickboxing fighter Lt Nelson under traditional Lethwei rules at the event organized by Sparta Combat League in Wyoming. This would mark the first Lethwei fight on US soil, in the history of the sport.