When UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera (21-2) steps into the Octagon opposite John Dodson (20-9) this Saturday at UFC 228, he will be just 99 days removed from the crushing KO he suffered at UFC Fight Night Utica. That defeat to Marlon Moraes was Rivera’s first pro loss since 2008.
Rivera was on a 20-fight winning streak when he met Moraes, having collected victories over Thomas Almeida, Urijah Faber, and Pedro Munhoz. The win streak vaulted Rivera into the upper echelon of the bantamweight division and within striking distance of a title fight.
Bloody Elbow asked the now 5th ranked Rivera what it was like coming to terms with his first official* loss inside the UFC Octagon.