Pivotal Clash Between Jimmie Rivera & Petr Yan Earmarked For UFC 238
Just two weeks ago, many contenders within the stacked bantamweight division were in somewhat of a ‘no man’s land.’
T.J. Dillashaw had just failed an in-competition drug test stemming from his January meeting with Henry Cejudo and subsequently relinquished his throne. June’s UFC 238 from Chicago looks likely to settle a lot of differences at 135 pounds and firmly reshuffle the division.
Streaking contender Petr Yan looks to retain his undefeated status in the promotion and is expected to meet the well-rounded Jimmie ‘El Terror’ Rivera. It also emerged yesterday that a potential title eliminator between Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz was on deck for the event. The winner of that exciting match-up likely to face
Rising Stars
The boxing-based Petr Yan, recently scored a convincing three-round unanimous decision victory over John Dodson, after his second-round corner stoppage of Brazil’s Douglas Silva de Andrade. The talented boxer offers a tricky puzzle for Tiger Schulmann product Rivera, who himself is attempting to bounce back from a loss to the previously mentioned Aljamain Sterling.
Dropping just three career defeats since his professional debut 11 years prior, New Jersey native Rivera holds some impressive names on his record such as Urijah Faber and Iuri Alcantara, Thomas Almeida, and Pedro Munhoz, to name a few. A victory for each man firmly instates them into a now-crowded title conversation.
A Pivotal Pay-Per-View
UFC 238 takes place from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 8th. with two title bouts scheduled. As mentioned earlier, flyweight kingpin Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes throw down in the event’s headliner. Newly-minted women’s flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko defends her crown for the first time against Jessica Eye.
Strawweight challengers Tatiana Suarez and Nina Ansaroff also meet. In his Octagon and hometown return, Ricardo Lamas faces the surging Calvin Kattar in an impressive pay-per-view for the organization.
