UFC contender Jimmie Rivera explains why he accepted Marlon Moraes fight

Last we heard from Jimmie Rivera, he was only focused on the best of the best in the UFC bantamweight division — champ T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt, and Dominick Cruz.

He didn’t want to fight Marlon Moraes this year after that fight failed to come to fruition on short notice at UFC 219 last December. Moraes had initially offered to step in for the injured John Lineker, but later retracted his offer, even up 10 pounds at featherweight.

Rivera went through two official opponents for that pay-per-view card (Cruz, then Lineker), but things didn’t play out in his favor — he hasn’t fought since July. He had hoped to fight Moraes in January, but when that didn’t work out, either, he announced he had moved on from that opponent.

But here he is, set to take on Moraes in a UFC Fight Night main event on June 1 in Utica, New York. According to Rivera, it didn’t really take much convincing from the UFC to change his mind on facing Moraes. But he did receive some “extra incentives” from the promotion to take the bout, Rivera claimed.

“There was some things that the UFC and I worked out, that they were able to work with me and give me,” Rivera told BloodyElbow.com. “One of the things we agreed on was that it would be a main-event fight. Now that you have T.J. and Cody, that fight’s gonna happen, the fight between Marlon and I is basically a No. 1 contender fight. If I get this win, I can’t get denied a title shot next.”

Rivera clarified what he said earlier this year: he never was entirely uninterested in the Moraes fight; it simply came down to when it was supposed to happen. Rivera said the UFC asked him to fight Moraes in February or March, but that didn’t line up well for him. He had a honeymoon with his wife booked — and he wasn’t going to reschedule it again.

“I wasn’t too interested in the beginning. I was really just focused on going on my honeymoon,” he said. “They were trying to push the fight in February, then March. We told the UFC, ‘We’ll make a decision and talk about it more when I get back, but right now, I’m just gonna focus on spending some time getting some vacation.’”

“I wanted to fight him when he agreed that he wanted to fight me in December, January. He said it was at 140, I gave him five pounds, then he said 145 pounds, I gave him 145 pounds. Then they said, ‘Jan. 20 you can fight.’ I said, ‘Alright, no problem.’ All of a sudden, they sent me a signed agreement for end of February. I said, ‘That’s not happening.’ Just because you agreed with him on his time, not my time. I’m taking my honeymoon with my wife that we planned and moved around three times — we’ve been married three years.”

Title shots don’t always go to the most deserving contenders, but Rivera said there is no way he won’t get a crack at UFC gold should he get past Moraes later this year. He hasn’t been told that that’s the case, but he doesn’t see anyone who could leap frog him. Garbrandt and Cruz are coming off losses, and Raphael Assuncao hasn’t quite done enough, Rivera said.

“El Terror” (21-1) hasn’t officially lost since his second pro bout in 2008. He said he’d be surprised if he doesn’t fight for the belt after the Moraes fight. He thinks the title picture is “clear enough.”

“They’ll never promise anything, because it all depends on, at the end of the day, it’s a business and what sells,” he said. “To make this a main event for a Fight Night card states itself as a No. 1 contender spot.

“It all depends on the performance of the night, who does well, and how that fight ends. I gotta go in there, guns a blazing, and try to finish him. That’s it.”

Some fans were surprised when Rivera vs. Moraes was booked for June 1. It’s a tremendous stylistic bout, so why schedule it for so far away? According to Rivera, the fight was in the works for the UFC Atlantic City card, but Edson Barboza vs. Kevin Lee took the event’s top billing before Rivera and Moraes both signed the dotted line. It was essentially first come, first serve, per Rivera.

“We were trying to shoot for April, but April didn’t work out,” he said. “So June 1 it’s going to be.”

Rivera isn’t mad or upset that he has to wait another two-plus months to get his hands on the former WSOF champion. He’s happy to get the most preparation time possible.

“I just got back from vacation,” he said. “It gives me plenty of time to train and get ready for a five-round fight in case it goes the distance.”

Rivera hasn’t fought since a July win over Thomas Almeida, but he’s not concerned about the layoff or potential ring rust. After all, he was training to face Cruz — and then Lineker — a few months ago, and he also had a January date in mind for the Moraes fight.

“It’s not like I’m not in shape,” Rivera said. “I missed one week for vacation. We did a lot of stuff that was active; it’s not like I took a break.”