https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdVJuwd8qck
UPDATED: Jimmie Rivera declined to face Marlon Vera after agreeing to the fight. As a result, he is off the Phoenix card.
Sorry “Magician,” maybe next time.
Bantamweights Jimmie Rivera (20-1) and Bryan Caraway were set to go toe-to-toe at next Sunday night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix, Arizona. Those plans were scrapped when Caraway went down with an injury. John Dodson offered to replace Caraway and meet “El Terror” inside the Octagon.
That fight is going to have to wait if it ever materializes.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced that Marlon Vera (8-3-1) will step up to face Rivera inside the Talking Stick Arena. Vera competed on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. “Chito’s” professional record inside the Octagon sits at 2-2.
Rivera hasn’t lost since his second professional bout and is on a 19-fight winning streak. He is the No. 6 ranked bantamweight in the world. He’s coming off a unanimous decision victory of the now retired mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Urijah Faber at UFC 203.
The main card of the Phoenix event will begin at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Rivera vs. Vera is expected to open the main card.
