Introduction
Jimmie Ernesto Rivera (born June 29, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist of Puerto Rican and Italian descent, who competes in UFC's Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for Bellator, the World Series of Fighting, CFFC and King of the Cage, where he was the Bantamweight Champion. As of July 14, 2020, he is #8 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
Background
A native of Ramsey, New Jersey, Rivera was a former Ramsey High School wrestler.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
A Tiger Schulmann MMA product, Jimmie Rivera started his career in 2007 when he was 18 years old. After compiling an undefeated 7–0 record as an amateur within only two years, he moved to professional mixed martial arts.
As a professional, he fought only for New Jersey's promotion Ring of Combat before signing with Bellator in 2009.
Bellator Fighting Championships
Rivera made his debut on April 10, 2009 at Bellator 2 against Willie Gates. Rivera won via submission in the third round.
Rivera faced Nick Garcia on June 12, 2009 at Bellator 11. He defeated Garcia via unanimous decision.
King of the Cage
Rivera faced Abel Cullum on September 17, 2010 for the KOTC flyweight title. Rivera won via split decision (49-46 Rivera, 49-46 Rivera, 48-47 Cullum) after five rounds and became the new champion.
Rivera made a title defense against Jared Papazian on February 3, 2011. After five rounds he won via unanimous decision and retained his belt.
The Ultimate Fighter
Rivera appeared in the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller. He lost via TKO in the second round against Dennis Bermudez during the entry round.
Return to Ring of Combat
Rivera returned to ROC on June 15, 2012 against Justin Hickey for the bantamweight title. He won the title via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a three-round match.
Rivera defended his belt once against Joel Roberts on September 14, 2012.
Rivera was expected to face Anthony Leone on November 18, 2011. It was rescheduled to happen on April 27, 2012, but for undisclosed reasons the fight was scrapped.
Second Bellator run
Rivera faced Jesse Brock on December 7, 2012 at Bellator 83. He won via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Rivera faced Brian Kelleher on April 4, 2013 at Bellator 95. He won via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
World Series of Fighting
Rivera faced Sidemar Honório on September 14, 2013 at WSOF 5. He was able to come through after taking a significant amount of damage in the first round, and managed to recover in the second and third rounds using his strength and wrestling skills. Rivera won the fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rivera made his promotional debut and faced Marcus Brimage on July 18, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 72, replacing an injured Ian Entwistle. He won the fight via KO in the first round.
Rivera faced Pedro Munhoz on November 7, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 77. He won the fight via split decision.
Rivera faced Iuri Alcântara on January 30, 2016 at UFC on Fox 18.He won the fight by unanimous decision.The win also earned Rivera his first Fight of the Night bonus award.
Rivera faced Urijah Faber on September 10, 2016 at UFC 203.He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Rivera was expected to face Bryan Caraway on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103. However, Caraway pulled out of the fight citing an injury, and Rivera rejected the replacement Marlon Vera due to the lack of rank and relevance in the division.
Rivera faced Thomas Almeida on July 22, 2017 at UFC on Fox 25. He won the fight by unanimous decision, extending his win streak to 20.
Rivera was expected to face Dominick Cruz on December 30, 2017 at UFC 219. However Cruz suffered a broken arm in training and had to pull out of the fight,and he was replaced by John Lineker. On December 24, Lineker pulled out of the fight citing a tooth infection. After a failed negotiation with Marlon Moraes in attempt to remain on the card, Rivera announced that he will not compete at the event.
Rivera faced Marlon Moraes on June 1, 2018 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 131. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round due to a head kick and punches. This marked the first time Rivera has been finished in his professional MMA career.
Rivera faced John Dodson on September 8, 2018 at UFC 228. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Rivera faced Aljamain Sterling on February 17, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 1. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Rivera faced Petr Yan on June 8, 2019 at UFC 238. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Rivera was scheduled to face Marlon Vera on February 8, 2020 at UFC 247. However, Rivera pulled out of the fight on January 23 citing an injury. Promotion officials have not announced whether or not Vera would remain on the card against a replacement, or if the pairing with Rivera would remain intact and rescheduled for a future event.
Rivera faced Cody Stamann in a featherweight bout on July 16, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- Cage Fury Fighting Championships
- CFFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
- King of the Cage
- KOTC Flyweight (135 lb) Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
- Ring of Combat
- ROC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 27 matches | 23 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 17 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 23–4 | Cody Stamann | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige | July 16, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Featherweight bout. |
| Loss | 22–4 | Petr Yan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 238 | June 8, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 22–3 | Aljamain Sterling | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez | February 17, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 22–2 | John Dodson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 228 | September 8, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 21–2 | Marlon Moraes | KO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes | June 1, 2018 | 1 | 0:33 | Utica, New York, United States | |
| Win | 21–1 | Thomas Almeida | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum | July 22, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Win | 20–1 | Urijah Faber | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 203 | September 10, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | |
| Win | 19–1 | Iuri Alcântara | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader | January 30, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 18–1 | Pedro Munhoz | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3 | November 7, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 17–1 | Marcus Brimage | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites | July 18, 2015 | 1 | 1:29 | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Win | 16–1 | Carson Beebe | KO (punch) | CFFC 48: Good vs. Burrell | May 9, 2015 | 1 | 0:16 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Defended the CFFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–1 | Anthony Durnell | TKO (punch) | CFFC 43: Webb vs. Good | November 1, 2014 | 3 | 3:22 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Won the vacant CFFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–1 | Cody Stevens | Decision (unanimous) | CFFC 35: Heckman vs. Makashvili | April 26, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 13–1 | Sidemar Honório | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 5 | September 14, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 12–1 | Brian Kelleher | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 95 | April 4, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Catchweight (140 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 11–1 | Jesse Brock | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 83 | December 7, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Joel Roberts | Decision (unanimous) | Ring of Combat 42 | September 14, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Defended the Ring of Combat Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–1 | Justin Hickey | Decision (unanimous) | Ring of Combat 41 | June 15, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Won the Ring of Combat Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–1 | Jared Papazian | Decision (unanimous) | KOTC: Empire | February 3, 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | San Bernardino, California, United States | Defended the KOTC Flyweight (135 lbs) Championship. |
| Win | 7–1 | Abel Cullum | Decision (split) | KOTC: No Mercy | September 17, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | Won the KOTC Flyweight (135 lbs) Championship. |
| Win | 6–1 | Carlos David | KO (punches) | Ring of Combat 29 | April 16, 2010 | 2 | 2:59 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Claudio Ledesma | Decision (unanimous) | UCC 1: Merciless | March 19, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Nick Garcia | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 11 | June 12, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Willie Gates | Submission (triangle choke) | Bellator 2 | April 10, 2009 | 3 | 3:17 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Tyler Venice | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ring of Combat 23 | February 20, 2009 | 2 | 1:13 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Jason McLean | Decision (split) | Ring of Combat 22 | November 21, 2008 | 3 | 4:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Catchweight (150 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 1–0 | Fernando Bernandino | Decision (unanimous) | Ring of Combat 21 | September 12, 2008 | 2 | 4:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Catchweight (150 lbs) bout. |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Dennis Bermudez | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller | September 21, 2011 (airdate) | 2 | 1:40 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Preliminary bout. |