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Jerome Rivera, right, is shown fighting Saul Elizondo in a 2017 bout at Isleta Casino. Rivera won that one by TKO, but he has faced some adversity since signing with UFC last September. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal File)
Jerome Rivera is 0-3 as a UFC fighter. Going 0-4, he’s aware, could spell the end of his career in MMA’s most powerful organization.
Yet, the Santa Fe native says, that’s not his primary source of motivation as he prepares to face Kazakhstan’s Zhalgas Zhumagolov on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
All he needs for inspiration is to look at his gym bag, where he’s affixed photos of his fiancée, Gabriella Fischer, and their almost 3-year-old daughter Emilia.
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Jeff Molina may have gotten his first UFC win, and his first bonus, but he’s not happy with his octagon debut and has his sights set on the brother of the current 125-pound champion.
In the second fight of the night this past Saturday at UFC 261, Molina picked up a unanimous decision win over Aori Qileng in the event’s Fight of the Night to earn an extra $50,000.
After an exciting battle over the first two rounds, Molina opened up in a big way in the third, landing 127 significant strikes the third most in a round in UFC history. The 2020 DWCS contract winner’s 189 total significant strikes landed set a new record in the flyweight division, shattering champion Deiveson Figueiredo’s previous record of 137 landed against Brandon Moreno at UFC 256.
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Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
This weekend, the “BMF” champion will once again have an opportunity to grab true UFC gold and as the fight draws nearer, Jorge Masvidal is ramping up his trash talk.
On Saturday, Masvidal will rematch welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 261. The two first fought 10 months ago at UFC 251 with Masvidal losing a unanimous decision. However, many things have changed since the two first fought. For instance, UFC 251 took place in Abu Dhabi and without fans in attendance whereas Saturday’s card takes place in Jacksonville, Fla., and will be the first event with full fan attendance in over a year, something Masvidal is excited about.