Issue 168
June 2018
Jimmie Rivera has been one step from a bantamweight title shot for almost two years. Finally, he might be about to take it.
*The following interview took place in 2018*
Beating Uriah Faber by winning every round in September 2016 was the kind of win that showed the world that Jimmie Rivera had the potential to fight for a UFC world title. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships bantamweight champion had won his 19th fight in a row (and fourth in the Octagon), capping his streak by dominating an icon and a high-level gatekeeper. Under different circumstances, he might have been booked for a shot at the belt then and there.
However, with Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt competing for the belt, and the subsequent demand to see'No Love' face off against T.J. Dillashaw on The Ultimate Fighter, The New Jersey native had to wait it out a little longer. Instead of sitting back, he solidified his status as a leading contender with another wide unanimous decision - this time over Thomas Almeida. But that still wasn't enough.
The Garbrandt-Dillashaw saga stretched all the way into the fourth quarter of 2017, so Rivera was given another assignment to complete in order to cement himself as the winner’s next challenger. Beating Cruz at UFC 219 would have done the job, but he withdrew a month before. His replacement, John Lineker, dropped out just six days ahead of fight night.
Left in limbo, ‘El Terror’ took a step back from the machinations of the 135lb rankings to regroup and go on the honeymoon that had taken a back seat for three years while he made great strides in his MMA career. Now, he has another matchup booked, in a main event, no less, against the dangerous Marlon Moraes, who is ranked one spot below him at number five in the bantamweight division.
Assuming they finally make it into the cage – and with the abandonment of plans for a Dillashaw-Demetrious Johnson super- fight – a win would surely mean, this time, Rivera will get what he’s been on the cusp of achieving for almost two years...
Q. What does it mean for you to be the main event at UFC Fight Night 131?
To be the main event is a huge career move. It’s really important to have that moment in your career. I think everybody should be a main event before you get a title shot. It’s a big deal. I am very excited to be the main event for a UFC Fight Night card. It’s a big deal and a big step up.
Q. How do you see the fight between you and Marlon Moraes playing out?
I am looking for the finish. I have been training. We were putting some things together as soon as I got back from honeymoon.
Q. After pushing it back a few times, was it a relief to finally take the vacation you and your wife were supposed to take years ago?
It was great. We went to Costa Rica after being married for three years. We just had a blast. It was beautiful. We had a great time. It was good to get away and relax and not worry about fighting or work or anything like that. We took a nice vacation, got a nice little mental leave, relaxed and had a good time.
Q. You’re on a 20- fight winning streak dating back almost a decade. Do you feel pressure to maintain it?
I never really think about it. I just focus on what’s next at hand. Whenever the streak comes up it’s usually in an interview just like this. I think it just comes down to hard work and that’s it. I don’t think about my record at all. Sometimes I even f**k up my own record. I get the numbers confused.
I want that belt around my waist. I want to fight for the belt. That’s my main focus.
Q. You were set to fight Dominick Cruz and John Lineker. What goes through your mind when these opponents pull out?
I had three guys pull out of fights on me last year. Bryan Caraway said he got hurt and I know he definitely faked it. I see him training all the time. He says he’s hurt but it doesn’t look like it if he’s training all the time. It wasn’t a good fight for him. I can’t say anything about Lineker. I saw a picture of him getting surgery on his mouth, the week of the fight. It was Christmas Eve.
I understand. I just hope he’s recovered. That was nothing I could control.
Q. How frustrating is it to have these opportunities fall apart after all the time, effort and expense you put into a training camp?
It’s frustrating. It’s a huge pain in the ass. I was supposed to fight three times last year and only fought one time out of the three. It sucks.
Q. Despite sitting out for so long and being up against a strong bantamweight top 10 that is one of the deepest in the UFC, do you feel like you should earn a title shot with a win against Marlon Moraes?
Everyone sees it as though I am one win away. This is really like a number one contender fight between me and Marlon here in June. I believe the winner of this fight will get a title shot. That’s just the way it’s going to roll. I am looking forward to fighting T.J. Dillashaw or whoever has the belt at the time.
Q. You’ve trained with Tiger Schulmann since you were a child and worked there since age 13. How much has the team and coach Daniel Schulmann shaped you as a martial artist?
It’s great. We are a huge family. They are there to support me and I am there to support them. “Tiger” is not only a coach, but a father figure in my life. Whatever he says I do. He is there to teach me along the way with the other guys. It’s great to have that kind of support and have a team and a coach there that really cares about you.
