This top contender has addressed the reason he accepted a fight against Marlon Moraes.
That contender is Jimmie Rivera, who is slated to fight the former WSOF champion at the upcoming UFC Utica event.
The event is set to take place on June 1st, 2018 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
Although there have been some who have questioned his decision to take this fight, Rivera has a solid reason for his latest fight decision and explained it during a recent interview.
“There was some things that the UFC and I worked out, that they were able to work with me and give me,” Rivera told BloodyElbow.com. “One of the things we agreed on was that it would be a main-event fight. Now that you have T.J. and Cody, that fight’s gonna happen, the fight between Marlon and I is basically a No. 1 contender fight. If I get this win, I can’t get denied a title shot next.”
Rivera went on record by saying that the UFC asked him to fight Moraes in February or March, but that didn’t line up well for him.
“I wasn’t too interested in the beginning. I was really just focused on going on my honeymoon,” he said. “They were trying to push the fight in February, then March. We told the UFC, ‘We’ll make a decision and talk about it more when I get back, but right now, I’m just gonna focus on spending some time getting some vacation.’”
“I wanted to fight him when he agreed that he wanted to fight me in December, January. He said it was at 140, I gave him five pounds, then he said 145 pounds, I gave him 145 pounds. Then they said, ‘Jan. 20 you can fight.’ I said, ‘Alright, no problem.’ All of a sudden, they sent me a signed agreement for end of February. I said, ‘That’s not happening.’ Just because you agreed with him on his time, not my time. I’m taking my honeymoon with my wife that we planned and moved around three times — we’ve been married three years.”
Rivera also stated that he’d be surprised if he doesn’t fight for the belt after this upcoming fight due to the fact that he thinks the title picture is clear enough to figure out.
“They’ll never promise anything, because it all depends on, at the end of the day, it’s a business and what sells,” he said. “To make this a main event for a Fight Night card states itself as a No. 1 contender spot. It all depends on the performance of the night, who does well, and how that fight ends. I gotta go in there, guns a blazing, and try to finish him. That’s it.”
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