It appears that Jimmie Rivera is looking to make a quick turnaround.
As seen in the main event of UFC Utica event that aired on FOX Sports 1 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York, former WSOF champion Marlon Moraes was able to finish Rivera by strikes after landing a huge head kick to win the bantamweight headliner.
This marked Rivera’s first loss since November of 2008 and now holds a pro-MMA record of 21-2. Coming into this headliner, he was on a 20 fight winning streak, but that has been snapped
According to a report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC is interested in booking Rivera against former title contender John Dodson for a bout that would take place this September.
It would likely be for a Fight Night event. It should be noted that the promotion has yet to officially announce this fight. Okamoto wrote the following on his official Twitter account:
“UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera is looking for a quick turnaround after last Friday’s 33-second loss to Marlon Moraes (his first L in 21 fights), according to sources. UFC is interested in pairing him with John Dodson in September. Nothing official yet, but it’s being discussed.”
UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera is looking for a quick turnaround after last Friday's 33-second loss to Marlon Moraes (his first L in 21 fights), according to sources. UFC is interested in pairing him with John Dodson in September. Nothing official yet, but it's being discussed.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 7, 2018
Coming into this fight, 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.
Rivera also stated that he’d be surprised if he doesn’t fight for the belt if he won this fight due to the fact that he thinks the title picture is clear enough to figure out.
Obviously, that won’t happen now as he will work his way back and pick up a few more wins before getting back in the title picture.
Dodson recently signed a deal with the UFC following a test as a free agent. Despite wanting to try out the waters from other promotions, he decided to stay with the promotion.
Dodson is 3-2 in his last five outings with wins over Manvel Gamburyan, Eddie Wineland, and Pedro Munhoz. He lost to John Lineker and Moraes in that span.
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