Jimmie Rivera may be in for a quick turnaround.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto is reporting that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is interested in booking Rivera vs. John Dodson for a card in September. The report comes just six days after Rivera was knocked out by Marlon Moraes in 33 seconds.
UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera is looking for a quick turnaround after last Friday's 33-second loss to Marlon Moraes (his first L in 21 fights), according to sources. UFC is interested in pairing him with John Dodson in September. Nothing official yet, but it's being discussed.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 7, 2018
Rivera took on Moraes in the main event of UFC Utica. Quickly into the opening round, Moraes landed a head kick that dropped “El Terror.” Some ground-and-pound put a halt to the contest.
Dodson recently re-signed with the UFC after testing the free agency market. “The Magician” wanted to explore his options following the last fight on his previous contract. In the end, he felt comfortable staying with the world leader in mixed martial arts.
Rivera’s loss to Moraes was just the second defeat of his professional MMA career. It was also the first time “El Terror” was stopped in an MMA bout. His record still stands at an impressive 21-2.
As for Dodson, he’s gone 3-2 in his last five outings. He’s beaten Manvel Gamburyan, Eddie Wineland, and Pedro Munhoz while losing to John Lineker and Marlon Moraes in that span. His professional MMA record thus far is 20-9.
Do you think Jimmie Rivera should take more time to heal?
