Report: Jimmie Rivera vs. Marlon Moraes Targeted For UFC Utica
A pivotal bantamweight fight could be headed to Utica, New York.
According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC is targeting a bout between surging No. 4-ranked Jimmie Rivera and No. 5-ranked former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion Marlon Moraes to headline UFC Fight Night 131, which is set for June 1, 2018 from the Adirondack Bank Center.
Over the last few months, the UFC has tried to book this bout multiple times, and it appears as if the promotion is finally coming close to finalizing it.
Rivera, who’s currently riding an incredible 21-fight winning streak, is 5-0 since entering the UFC in 2015 with notable victories over Urijah Faber and Thomas Almeida. He was most recently scheduled to take on former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 219 late last year, but Cruz was forced to withdraw with an injury.
Moraes, on the other hand, is 1-2 since entering the UFC last year and is currently riding a two-fight winning streak that includes a split-decision victory over John Dodson and a brutal knockout victory over Aljamain Sterling.
UFC Fight Night 131 will mark the promotion’s first trip to Utica, New York.
