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Tag: Jimmie Rivera

  • Frankie Edgar Out Of Scheduled BKFC Debut

    Frankie Edgar Out Of Scheduled BKFC Debut

    Frankie Edgar’s return to combat sports action following his UFC retirement will not be going down after all this weekend in BKFC.

    Per a report from NJ.com’s Kevin Armstrong, Edgar will no longer be competing on the BKFC 82 card against fellow New Jersey native Jimmie Rivera.

    The reason for Edgar’s removal is currently unknown. BKFC President David Feldman told Ariel Helwani on October 1 that there was a potential medical issue for Edgar that left his status unknown.

    When the news of Edgar’s BKFC debut first came to light, many in the combat community expressed concern over the well-being of Edgar. Edgar, who will turn 44 in a couple of weeks, has not been in action since UFC 281 in November 2022.

    Frankie Edgar Removed From BKFC Debut Days Before BKFC 82

    Armstrong reports that in order to cleared for the BKFC event, Edgar had to undergo an echocardiogram, stress test, and eye examination, as well as a bloodwork panel, EKG, and MRI.

    Armstrong added that Edgar’s family and friends have asked him not to return to action but Edgar reportedly felt the BKFC environment was safer because of the punching-only focus.

    The UFC Hall of Famer lost five of his last six fights in the UFC, occuring between 2019 and 2022.

    Rivera, a fellow UFC veteran, will remain on the card, taking on Timmy Mason.

    BKFC 82 will take place on October 4 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It is the first bare-knuckle event to take place in the Garden State.

  • Frankie Edgar Coming Out Of Retirement To Make BKFC Debut

    Frankie Edgar Coming Out Of Retirement To Make BKFC Debut

    After about three years away from active combat competition, UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar is set to return on October 4 in a completely different environment.

    Edgar will be moving from the gloves to his bare knuckles, signing with BKFC, per a report from Ariel Helwani.

    Pending an approval from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, Edgar will reportedly make his BKFC debut on October 4 at BKFC 82, which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey — Edgar’s home state.

    His opponent will be fellow UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera.

    Frankie Edgar vs. Jimmie Rivera Booked For BKFC 82

    Edgar made his MMA debut in 2005, going on to sign with the UFC in 2007 and having a 15-year career with the promotion, competing in three weight classes and getting inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2024. His last fight came at UFC 281, where he was knocked out by Chris Gutierrez — Edgar’s third consecutive knockout loss.

    Edgar defeated B.J. Penn in upset fashion at UFC 112 to become UFC lightweight champion. He’d retain the title in a rematch against Penn at UFC 118 before retaining in a pair of fights (the latter two in a trilogy) against Gray Maynard in 2011.

    After dropping the title to Benson Henderson and losing a subsequent rematch, Edgar moved down to 145, unsuccessfully challenging for featherweight gold three times (twice undisputed, once interim), losing to Jose Aldo at UFC 156 and UFC 200 and to Max Holloway at UFC 240.

    Edgar moved down to bantamweight in 2020, winning his division debut against Pedro Munhoz before the three-fight losing skid that ended his UFC tenure.

    Rivera, who finished his MMA career 23-5, fought for the UFC between 2015 and 2021, going 7-4 in the promotion. Rivera has not fought in MMA since his last UFC bout — a loss to Munhoz at UFC Vegas 20.

    Rivera signed with BKFC later that year, and he is 2-2-1 in the promotion thus far. Rivera most recently fought at BKFC Fight Night Montana in November, unsuccessfully challenging Kai Stewart for the BKFC featherweight title.

    BKFC 82 will be headlined by Mike Perry defending his King of Violence title against Jeremy Stephens.

  • Jimmie Rivera, UFC Veteran, Signs With BKFC And Set To Debut May 6

    Former UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera has signed with Bare Knuckle FC and will make his promotional debut on May 6.

    Rivera’s opponent for his first fight in bare-knuckle boxing is expected to be announced later this week.

    BKFC announced the signing in a press release and on their social media that Rivera will fight at the upcoming BKFC 25 event in Orlando, FL. He becomes the latest former UFC fighter to make the move to BKFC along with Chad Mendes, Paige VanZant, and Mike Perry.

    Rivera last fought in the UFC Octagon in Feb. 2021, losing a unanimous decision to Pedro Munhoz. Before that, he lost two of his previous three fights to Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling back in 2019.

    Rivera’s last UFC win came against Cody Stamann in July 2020 when he earned a unanimous decision victory and appeared on the path to bouncing back in the division. He was scheduled to fight at the recent Triller Triad Combat 2 event last month before the card was postponed.

    It’s not yet clear what division Rivera will compete in BKFC, but he’s fought at bantamweight for the majority of his MMA career. After falling short of a title on The Ultimate Fighter: Season 14 at featherweight, he went on to win 13 straight fights and, in the process, make it back to the UFC.

    Rivera’s signing with BKFC had been rumored to be in the works since last November when his manager Malki Kawa revealed the planned move in an interview with The Schmo.

    Who do you want Jimmie Rivera to face in his BKFC debut?

  • Archives: Marlon Vera Says Jimmie Rivera Is ‘Not A Real Man’ (2017)

    Five years ago, a 24-year-old Marlon Vera let Jimmie Rivera hear it after Rivera pulled out of their fight. Little did young “Chito” that Rivera would pull out of a fight between them again three years later at UFC 247.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 9:46 PM]

    Headline: Marlon Vera Says Jimmie Rivera Is ‘Not A Real Man’

    Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

    The biggest opportunity fell in the lap of Marlon Vera recently. He was called upon to replace Bryan Caraway at this Sunday night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix, Arizona. His opponent was to be No. 6 ranked bantamweight Jimmie Rivera.

    And just like that, the opportunity was gone.

    Rivera claimed the reason he pulled out of the fight was in fear of coming off like a bully. Vera told BloodyElbow.com that “El Terror’s” only fear was fighting something that isn’t as bad as he thought:

    “I think 100 percent he is (scared). Not because I’m the best in the division, but probably he accepted the fight without knowing who I am, and then when he watched my clip, he was expecting a tomato can. When he watched the fights, he probably found out I’m not a tomato can. I have two losses in the UFC, but both of those fights were very close.”

    Vera was left confused by Rivera’s explanation for removing himself from the Phoenix card.

    “All of the things he said is completely bizarre. It’s stupid, and it’s immature. All of the things he said show to the world how unprofessional this dude is. What this guy did, that’s why he’s not going to be remembered.”

    “El Terror” teaches kids in New York City at Team Tiger Schulmann’s. Vera argues that Rivera’s unprofessional actions should prevent him from doing so.

    “This guy said he teaches kids. I also teach kids in the gym. When I teach kids, I tell them that a real man keeps his word. To me, words mean more than a contract. This guy shouldn’t be teaching kids, because he’s not a professional. He’s not a real man. Every single fighter in the world wants to fight. You get a fight and the next day say, ‘I don’t want to fight.’ That’s proof you are not a real man.”