Jimmie Rivera has been offered a bout against Marlon Moraes for UFC 219.
Just days before UFC 219, John Lineker has pulled out of his bantamweight bout against Jimmie Rivera. The promotion is working through the holidays to get Rivera a new opponent, and a replacement fight has already been proposed.
Bloody Elbow has learned that Rivera has been offered a bout against Marlon Moraes, and he has since verbally accepted and is waiting on the contract.
“(The fight will happen) if Marlon says yes,” Rivera told Bloody Elbow. “I’m ready to sign.”
Moraes was part of the few people who called for the bout as soon as the news of Lineker pulling out broke, making it more likely that the bout can be made official soon.
If the bout is finalized, it would be Moraes’ third UFC bout in less than two months. He is fresh off a brutal KO win over Aljamain Sterling on December 9th, and also picked up a decision over John Dodson last November.
Rivera was originally supposed to face Dominick Cruz on the card, before Lineker stepped in and eventually pulled out as well. He is on an impressive 20-fight winning streak, which includes five straight in the UFC against the likes of Thomas Almeida and Urijah Faber.
Rivera and Moraes are currently the number four and five ranked bantamweights in the UFC respectively.