Francisco Rivera
Bantamweight fighter Francisco ‘Cisco’ Rivera (7-2) is reportedly set to make his return to the Octagon on just two weeks notice, facing Alex Soto (6-1-1) at the upcoming UFC on FUEL TV 3 event this month.
Rivera is stepping in as a late replacement for Russian fighter Azamat Gashimov. The change was reported by Sherdog.com on Tuesday, with no reason provided for Gashimov’s withdrawal.
UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier (aka UFC on Fuel TV 3) is expected to take place on May 15, 2012 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
Rivera fought only once for the UFC, losing his debut to Reuben Duran at the TUF 13 Finale in June 2011. It was his second match under Zuffa, having first appeared at WEC 52 against current No. 1 contender Erik Koch. ‘Cisco’ would lose via first round TKO to Koch. Since his dismissal following his UFC debut, Rivera has gone on to win twice under the Tachi Palace Fights banner, stopping both opponents by first round knockout in 40-seconds and 75-seconds respectively.
Soto debuted with the UFC last November at UFC 139, jumping in as a replacement for an injured Johnny Eduardo at the San Jose event. Soto would lose via first round KO to Michael McDonald, which was the first loss of Soto’s career. Previous to the loss, Soto fought to a Draw in Japan at a Deep 54 event, and before that had won six straight. It’s likely that a poor showing for Soto will see him shown the door by the UFC, but stepping in as a late replacement and agreeing to face a new opponent on short notice may work in his favor.