Jimmie Rivera is determined to be in the octagon on Saturday – even if it means making a four-pound concession. Rivera (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was on his way to Las Vegas when he found out that John Lineker (30-8 MMA, 11-3 UFC) was out of their scheduled main card bantamweight bout. A very apologetic Lineker later explained that emergency dental surgery was the reason why he couldn’t make it to T-Mobile Arena. Rivera, who had already lost a UFC 219 opponent in former UFC champion Dominick Cruz, was clear from the start about his intentions to stay on the card. And, despite the short notice call over the holidays, he had no shortage of suitors . Among them, the name of former WSOF champion Marlon Moraes (20-5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) stood out – not because we weren’t aware of Moraes’ interest in an octagon meeting with Rivera, but because the Brazilian bantamweight has just had back-to-back fights, both victorious, within a 30-day span
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