One of the UFC's bantamweight's division rising prospects, 27-year-old Jimmie Rivera is rapidly climbing the ladder towards a much-desired title shot, but the climb suddenly came to a halt as his fight against fellow contender, Bryan Caraway, fell through, and he chose not to fight replacement opponent, Marlon Vera, on short notice for the January 15th event.
As Rivera told Olimpo MMA, he has turned his attention to big-named opponents, such as John Dodson, as he believes they won't help him achieve his goal.
"I made that decision because that fight wouldn't help and wouldn't get me closer to the belt,” Rivera said.