Jimmie Rivera Makes Quick Turnaround Against John Dodson After Marlon Moraes KO
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Jimmie Rivera is set to make an extremely quick turnaround after losing by knockout for the first time in his career against Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Night 131. The matchup was first reported by MMAFighting.
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Rivera (21-2) headlined his first UFC card in Utica, New York, earlier this month against Brazilian powerhouse Marlon Moraes, who ended Rivera’s night early with a brutal headkick just 33 seconds into the first round. The loss was Rivera’s second ever in his professional mixed martial arts career and his first in the UFC, as he had been on a remarkably impressive 20-fight win streak leading into the Moraes bout.
After defeating the likes of Urijah Faber and Thomas Almeida, Rivera seemed primed for a shot at T.J. Dillashaw’s bantamweight belt, but is now forced to go back to the drawing board in an effort to work his way back up through the division’s rankings. Rivera is currently ranked No. 5 in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
A win over Dodson (20-9) would certainly put him back into title contention talk, as “The Magician” has remained a perennial contender at 135 and 125 pounds, owning a first round TKO victory over the current bantamweight champion in Dillashaw and nearly knocking out flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson back in 2013.
Dodson is coming off of a win over Pedro Munhoz to close out his old UFC contract. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner ended up re-signing with the promotion after briefly testing the free agency market.
Meanwhile, Moraes holds victories over both Rivera and Dodson, and is likely next in line for a shot at bantamweight gold.
The only other official bout on UFC 228 at the moment is the Yair Rodriguez vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov fight, which took Rodriguez’s brief exit from the UFC to ultimately put together.
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