No Dominick Cruz? No problem!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight contender, Jimmie Rivera, will now fight division power puncher John Lineker (as requested) at the upcoming UFC 219 pay-per-view (PPV) event, set for Sat., Dec. 30, 2017 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Dominator” was forced to withdraw because of this.
Rivera (21-1) joined UFC in summer 2015 after making a mockery of the regional scene. Currently ranked No. 3, “El Terror” has five straight victories inside the Octagon with signature wins over Urijah Faber and Thomas Almeida, among others.
Lineker (30-8), meanwhile, saw his six-fight win streak come to an end after a competitive but losing effort against TJ Dillashaw, who went on to capture the 135-pound strap. “Hands of Stone” rebounded by outpointing Marlon Vera just last month.
Early predictions on this year-end slugfest?
UFC 219 will also feature the women’s championship title fight between Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm, while Khabib Nurmagomedov (finally) returns to action opposite Edson Barboza.
Fun!