A bantamweight showdown between Marlon Vera and Jimmie Rivera is on deck for UFC 247.
UFC 247 could have another key fight on its hands. On Saturday, MMA Junkie reported that top bantamweights Jimmie Rivera and Marlon Vera were being targeted for a bout at February’s PPV event. The fight has not yet been announced by the promotion.
Vera and Rivera were briefly linked to a bout in 2017, which ultimately fell through when Rivera declined the fight. Rivera had been matched up with Bryan Caraway, then a top contender at 135lbs. “I want to fight the best of the best. I trained for Caraway, so either I wait for him to get better or fight someone at the very top of the weight class,” the fighter told MMA Fighting at the time.
Since that time, however, the pair’s fortunes have changed considerably. Rivera (22-4) is 1-3 in his past four fights, losing against Marlon Moraes, Aljamain Sterling, and Petr Yan. His lone win in that stretch was over John Dodson, at UFC 228 last year.
Vera (15-5-1), meanwhile, has won five straight. Most recently, he picked up a TKO finish of Andre Ewell at UFC Tampa in October. And while Rivera may hold the edge in level of competition, there’s little doubt Vera is ready for a step up.
UFC 247 will go down February 8, 2020 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes headlines the event, while Valentina Shevchenko faces Katlyn Chookagian in a women’s flyweight title fight.
