Rivera, a Contender Series winner who didn’t earn a contract, only to jump into the UFC a short-notice replacement, was looking to snap a three-fight skid. And to avoid the almost certain pink slip that would come with a loss on Saturday. Zhumagulov, his own roster spot far from secure, was looking for his first win inside the octagon after dropping his first two fights for the promotion.

Both fighters took the center of the cage to start Saturday night off, and Rivera came out swinging. Rivera landed a jab and a kick. He followed that with three very hand body shots. Rivera missed with a head kick, and Zhumagulov landed a counter punch that dropped Rivera. Rivera shot for Zhumagulov’s legs, and Zhumagulov grabbed his neck. Zhumagulov locked in a standing guillotine choke and twisted into a neck crack which made Rivera tap. What a way to start the night!

How's that for a first win in the UFC 😱

🇰🇿 @ZhakoZhumagulov gets a first RD tap! #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/ZvWSVfXiY6

— UFC (@ufc) July 10, 2021

Zhumagulov picked up his long-awaited first win UFC win and gets to keep his job, while Rivera will be headed back to the regional scene as has now lost four fights in a row.

Official Result: Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Jerome Rivera by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 2:02

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Both men were in search of their first UFC win at the event. Osbourne was also moving to the featherweight division, after making his debut over a year prior at bantamweight.

It didn’t take long for one athlete to lock up their first victory inside the octagon. In an “if you blinked, you missed” it sort of finish, Ode Osbourne countered a Jerome Rivera kick with a perfectly placed left hand. Rivera’s high kick left him open. Osbourne, who had been submitted in his promotional debut, landed a perfectly placed left hand. Rivera went down, and follow-up strikes were barely necessary. Rivera was done, and Osbourne had lived up to his potential.

THE JAMAICAN SENSATION!

Welcome to the Octagon, @OdeOsbourne 🇯🇲

[ #UFCVegas18 – LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/VVEGvpueI6

— UFC (@ufc) February 6, 2021

“I dreamed about it for a whole year. I lost sleep over it. I cried walking out,” Osbourne said after the fact. It was all just a matter, he added, of trusting his instincts. With a quick finish and having taken no damage, Ode Osbourne will likely be set for a short turnaround moving forward.

Official Result: Ode Osbourne def. Jerome Rivera by knockout, Round 1, 0:26

The post UFC Vegas 18 Results: Ode Osbourne Shocks, Stops Jerome Rivera Within a Minute appeared first on Cageside Press.

The champ’s brother has arrived. Francisco Figueiredo, older brother of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, made his octagon debut on Wednesday. The Brazilian, a flyweight himself, was paired up with Jerome Rivera early on the UFC Fight Island 8 card.

The family name would be the draw (the second time that had happened on Wednesday’s card, as Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of lightweight champ Khabib, also made his debut). But Francisco would have to prove that he could hold his own under the bright lights of the UFC.

Figueiredo scored a solid takedown and Rivera responded by locking his legs in a body triangle, eventually working his way to his feet. Rivera fired some jabs, then closed in and was tripped, leading to a scramble. Rivera got to his feet and pushed Figueiredo to the cage hunting for a takedown, where the round ended.

Rivera started the fight by kicking his way into a clinch. Figueiredo spun him around and took the advantageous position in the clinch. Figueiredo threw a few elbows then Rivera broke free. Figueiredo had the advantage on the feet with his kicks, then slammed Rivera down in the clinch. He had side control briefly, but Rivera was able to get back to guard. Figueiredo slammed down some ground and pound, then had to back away due to several upkicks. Rivera pushed forward towards the end of the round, getting Figueiredo against the cage to end the round.

Out in the open after a few kicks, Figueiredo clinched up with Rivera and took him down in the middle of the cage. Rivera had a tight guard, limiting Figueiredo’s progress on top. Rivera squirmed to the fence, and used that to stand up with a bit over a minute left. Figueiredo closed the distance after Rivera was skirting around the cage, clinching his opponent against the fence to ride out the round.

Rivera started the final round with a couple of kicks, two to the leg and one up top. A clinch battle ensued and Rivera overpowered Figueiredo to push him to the cage. Figueiredo reversed position and took Rivera down, but Rivera was able to get up quickly. Rivera started to pick up the pace as time was winding down, eventually landing a head-and-arm throw and getting a takedown by the end of the round.

Francisco Figueiredo def. Jerome Rivera by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

The post UFC Fight Island 8 Results: Francisco Figueiredo Gets By Jerome Rivera appeared first on Cageside Press.

Francisco “Junior Mingau” Figueiredo
5’6″
Bantamweight
31-years-old
Belem, Para, Brazil
Team Figueiredo
11-3-1 (1 NC)
3 KO/TKOs
7 Submissions

How will Figueiredo fare in the UFC:

Francisco isn’t at the level of his brother but is talented in his own right. On the feet, he throws a nice left kick to the body, a long accurate jab, and a front kick to maintain his range. He does throw in single strikes and defensively he keeps his hands low and his head sits on the center line most of the time. Figueiredo has strong grappling, but his wrestling isn’t on the same level. I’m not sure where his grappling is exactly as with limited footage it’s hard to get a handle on, but he’s good at finding submissions in transitions. His cardio looks to be an issue slowing down significantly after round one. This is a signing that likely happened more due to the association with his brother, and his ceiling doesn’t appear to be too high.

• Striking: C+
• Kickboxing: C
• Clinch: C
• Wrestling: C
• Grappling: B-
• Striking Defense: C+
• Takedown Defense: C+
• Cardio: C-
• Biggest Strength: Grappling
• Biggest Weakness: Cardio

How does Figueiredo match up with Rivera:

Both athletes have similar styles, primarily being grapplers who on the feet fight on the outside with long strikes and kicks. They are nearly even on the feet. I’d give a slight advantage to Rivera since he is the more active fighter. Rivera is a good grappler but he’s not as good as he should be. I’m not sure if Figuiredo is a better grappler, but the length of Rivera could be a problem. The pick here is Rivera but it’s not exactly a confident pick.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Francisco Figueiredo appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pairing was announced a while back, after Rivera’s original opponent Ode Osborne pulled out. Since this interview took place, the UFC has announced a new home for the bout with Francisco Nazareno: on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Nazareno is the brother of the man who is arguably Fighter of the Year in 2020, flyweight champion Deiveson Figuiriedo. The two train together for all camps, and this fight against Rivera will be the UFC debut for Nazareno.

“He [Francisco] has been very inactive of late,” Rivera (10-3) told Cageside Press recently. “When someone isn’t fighting, you check out what the camp is doing. He [Francisco] fights a lot like Deiveson, just less polished. I haven’t seen a lot on his grappling but I know he is a black belt,” Rivera continued. “I’m coming to break this dude, in every facet, half way through the second round I’ll be too much for this guy.”

Rivera feels he has learned a ton from his UFC debut back in September. The 10-3, 25 year old lost to Tyson Nam via 2nd round TKO. Now, Rivera feels he has learned more from that setback, which now has him prepared for victory.

“Against Tyson Nam, I wasn’t fighting like myself,” Rivera stated. “I fought his style of fight, I need to calm myself down next time, just focus.”

“You have to be super concentrated, know the gameplan. With Tyson Nam there wasn’t a gameplan, It was on eight days’ notice,” Rivera continued. “I went into that fight, just to fight, that was my problem.”

With all the kinks worked out, Rivera will now return to face the champion’s brother on January 20, 2021 at UFC Fight Island 8. The event is headlined by a welterweight match-up featuring Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards.

Watch our full interview with UFC Fight Island 8’s Jerome Rivera above.

The post UFC: Jerome Rivera Preparing for Francisco Nazareno Like He’s Deiveson Figueirdeo appeared first on Cageside Press.

Among them, Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown, Roxanne Modafferi vs. Viviane Araujo, and Ike Villanueva vs. Vinicius Moreira will join the UFC’s January 20 Fight Island card.

BJPenn.com’s Cole Shelton was first to report news of Condit vs. Brown changing dates (update: this fight was later moved to January 16), also revealing that per Brown, the previously scheduled event on January 30 likely isn’t happening. Ike Villanueva later confirmed that his bout had been moved, announcing the change via social media.

MyMMANews had previously reported the date change for Modafferi vs. Araujo.

Also on the move to January 20 is Pedro Munhoz vs. Jerome Rivera. Munhoz confirmed that date change on his official Instagram account recently.

The UFC’s third trip to Fight Island comes as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic continues to hammer North America. Cases across the continent have continued to skyrocket, and although the promotion pulled off a number of shows in December, an increasing number of positives for COVID-19 and bout cancellations reflected the worsening situation stateside.

Hosting their first events of 2021 on Fight Island should give the promotion some breathing room. And it won’t hurt that a certain Irish star will return atop the final of those three events.

The post UFC: Condit vs. Brown, Modafferi vs. Araujo Among Fights Moved to January 20 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rivera had won three straight, including an appearance on the Contender Series back in August. Rivera was the only winner not to receive a contract that night, but he proved the importance of staying ready by landing a UFC spot by stepping up.

Rivera started on the outside, working well, throwing a lot of front kicks and leg kicks and keeping the fight at his range. Rivera was throwing a lot of feints and landing leg kicks, just feeling Nam out with the hands and touching him with the kicks. A huge advantage in output favored Rivera, as Nam was fighting at a patient pace. Nam had some success when he pressed Rivera against the cage, landing the bigger strikes, especially to the body. Just not a lot from Nam in the opening round.

In the opening moments of the second round Rivera threw a naked leg kick and Nam sat him with a counter right. Nam swarmed with ground and pound until the ref stepped in after a barrage of strikes. The patience of Nam really came through for him in this one.

THE COUNTER RIGHT! @TysonNam can throw 💣s at bantamweight!

[ Watch live on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/XP8ZHmOiI7

— UFC (@ufc) September 19, 2020

Tyson Nam def. Jermone Rivera by TKO (Right Hand and Ground and Pound), Round 2, 0:34

The post UFC Vegas 11 Results: Tyson Nam Scores Second-Round TKO of Jerome Rivera appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jerome “The Renegade” Rivera
5’10″
Flyweight
25-years-old
Santa Fe, New Mexico, US
Luttrell/Yee MMA & Fitness
10-2
1 KO/TKO
6 Submissions

How will Rivera fare in the UFC:

Jerome Rivera is a good young prospect still only 25-years-old. “Renegade” is a grappler first with some skills on the feet. While on the feet, Rivera likes to fight on the outside throwing a lot of kicks including front kicks. He’s a pretty tall guy and he’s used that to his advantage with some Thai knees. Still, his striking needs a lot of polishing as just throwing kicks isn’t going to take him far without throwing follow-ups and setups with his hands.

Jiu-jitsu is where Rivera shines but the problem is in the wrestling. Rivera focuses on pressing against the cage to work to the back or to pull his opponent down to a knee or create scrambles. That’s not going to work a lot of time as he really lacks in physicality. Once he does get the fight down he produces excellent ground and pound, smooth transitions, and is good at attacking submissions. Even off his back, Rivera is pretty dangerous. Rivera has some key features like good jiu-jitsu, toughness, a good gas tank, and youth. Over time he has a lot of potential and even right now he can make some waves in the division. To progress farther from where he’s at now he’s going to have to tighten up his technique and not rely on fighting with the flow.

How he matches up with Nam:

Nam is pretty underwhelming as a fighter but there is no question his style is perfect for this match-up. Rivera being a grappler is no doubt going to try and ground Nam. That’s not likely to happen and not because of the lack of wrestling from Rivera — Nam is extremely tough to take down. Nam is a power puncher, with extremely low volume however. There is a slight chance Rivera can outpoint Nam from the outside with kicks but I don’t see that happening. I don’t see Rivera being able to win a technical fight which is what he will be forced to do in this fight. Nam is just too experienced and far to dangerous for Rivera right now.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Jerome Rivera appeared first on Cageside Press.

For those appearing on the week one card, there was a little less competition for that UFC contract. That’s after Damonte Robinson was scratched from the card, a development first reported by James Lynch.

Bad news. Per sources Cross vs. Robinson is OFF tomorrow nights #ContenderSeries card. Robinson wasnt cleared by doctors due to what I'm hearing was an eye issue. https://t.co/uNO5GjorqK

— James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) August 4, 2020

That left Kenny Cross without a dance partner, with no time to find a replacement. Hopefully, the show will find a way to get him back on soon. In the meantime, a four-fight card would kick off the season, featuring the following pairings:

Light Heavyweight: Ty Flores vs. Dustin Jacoby

Lightweight: Uros Medic vs. Mikey Gonzalez

Flyweight: Luis Rodriguez vs. Jerome Rivera

Lightweight: Jordan Leavitt vs. Luke Flores

We spoke to Ty Flores ahead of his featured fight, who told us that he expected to have a considerable weight advantage over Jacoby, who has previously competed for Bellator, come fight night. “I think I’m gonna get him on the ground and he is gonna feel that, and I’m gonna zap all his energy,” he added.

Be sure to check out our full breakdown of Dana White’s Contender Series 4 Week 1. Results from Tuesday’s event can be found below.

Kicking off the Contender Series Week 1 card was Jordan Leavitt, who put a career in law on hold to pursue his fighting career. After opponent Luke Flores opted to jump guard and work on a triangle, Leavitt landed a slam, controlled on the ground, and softened his opponent up with punches. Then came the arm-triangle choke, and a first round finish. A post-fight celebration including “the worm” helped make his case for a UFC deal.

The flyweight battle between Luis Rodriguez and Jerome Rivera was a very different affair. A heated one, at times. Three full rounds full of scrambles and submission attempts. While Rivera looked dangerous on the ground early, he soon struggled to land takedowns, and Rodriguez appeared to be the fresher fighter as the bout wore on. Very active, very competitive, very fun. Rivera wound up taking the win on the scorecards, which left some observers puzzled, but both fighters deserve credit for a hell of a show.

The third fight of the evening was a show-stopper. Uros Medic repeatedly drilled the body of Mikey Gonzalez with kicks. After crumpling Gonzalez with one kick to the liver, he had a near finish. Somehow, Gonzalez survived. He didn’t survive a second punishing kick to the body, and more follow-up strikes. Medic making a strong statement for a UFC deal.

The MVP of Tuesday’s Contender Series offering may have been Ty Flores’ chin. In reality, it’s what kept him in his fight against Dustin Jacoby. Unfortunately for Flores, it didn’t help him get the win, however. Jacoby, who fought in the UFC and Bellator in years gone by, was returning from a stint in kickboxing, and absolutely pieced Flores up through the first two rounds. Flores was bloodied, close to being finished, but somehow gutted it out. Still, there was no question to the winner — Jacoby.

In the end, Leavitt, Medic, and Jacoby earned UFC deals. UFC President Dana White, meanwhile, said he expected to see Jerome Rivera and Luis Rodriguez in the promotion some day as well — “just not today.”

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 4, Week 1 Results:

Dustin Jacoby def. Ty Flores by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
Uros Medic def. Mikey Gonzalez by TKO (body kick and punches), Round 1, 2:12
Jerome Rivera def. Luis Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Jordan Leavitt def. Luke Flores by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 4:15

Contract Winners: Jordan Leavitt, Uros Medic, Dustin Jacoby

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 4, Week 1 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Past editions of the show have produced talents like Sean O’Malley, Edmen Shahbazyan, Johnny Walker and more. Who’s going to break out this year? Good question. We’ve got your week one breakdown right here!

Lightweight: Kenny Cross vs. Damonte Robinson

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Cross
Speed: Cross
Output/Volume: Cross
Knockout Power: Cross
Chin: Even
Kickboxing: Robinson
Footwork: Cross
Wrestling: Robinson
Grappling: Robinson
Submissions: Robinson
Cardio: Robinson

Prediction

Kevin Syler was originally scheduled against Cross for the first week of DWCS, but had to drop off the card. This is a super fun bout and a better fight than Cross/Syler. All three of Cross’s losses are by submission so that is a bit concerning. With Cross being so aggressive and pressing forward he could easily walk into a takedown. I’m just not fully sold on the wrestling ability of Robinson. Of the footage available I really like what Robinson brings to the table and I won’t be surprised if he gets the win. I favor Cross though because he’s shown a lot more in his career and the fact that Robinson is taking this fight on days’ notice. Skill for skill I think both have a lot to offer but Cross to me has more valuable weapons.

The post DWCS 2020 Week 1 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.