Rivera tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month.
One of the postponed matchups from UFC 258 has found a new home.
MMA Junkie reported on Tuesday that a bantamweight rematch between perennial contenders Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera is now set for UFC Vegas 20 on February 27th. The bout was slated for last week’s pay-per-view before Rivera tested positive for COVID-19.
Rivera (23-4) snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over Cody Stamann last July. He notably won 19 straight fights before his TKO defeat to Marlon Moraes in 2018, and since then he’s struggled to regain his form. Munhoz (18-5) is currently on a two-fight losing skid, having dropped a five-round split decision to Frankie Edgar and a one-sided decision to Aljamain Sterling.
In their previous bout back in 2015, Rivera won a split decision over Munhoz in Brazil in his second UFC appearance. Both men have obviously advanced their careers far enough to become top-10 ranked contenders at 135 lbs; Munhoz is #8 and Rivera is #9.
UFC Vegas 20 features a five-round heavyweight main event between strikers Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane. The entire card is expected to be streamed live exclusively on ESPN+.