UFC bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera explained why he wants to “beat the sh*t” out of his former opponent and rival Urijah Faber.
Rivera and Faber first met back at UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem in September 2016. In a fight that marked his first true coming-out party in the UFC, Rivera won a unanimous decision over the legend Faber that night. However, he suffered a nasty eye poke during the fight and was also the victim of a low blow. Although that fight was five years ago, Rivera still holds a grudge, and of course, there is only one way to settle the score: a rematch between the two veterans.
Speaking to UFC.com’s E. Spencer Kyte, Rivera said that he still harbors resentment for that fight and explained what he would do to Faber in a rematch.
“If Faber wanted to come back, I would (fight him again). Well, the two big hits I got from Faber in that fight were an eye-poke and a groin shot, so I would like that one back to f*ck him up, to be honest with you. He did f*ck up my eye a lot and I would love to get that one back and beat the sh*t out of him for that,” Rivera said.
The No. 9 ranked bantamweight in the UFC, Rivera returns this Saturday night at UFC 258 when he takes on Pedro Munhoz in a rematch between fellow top-ranked contenders. With a win in that fight, Rivera will maintain his position as a top-10 fighter at 135lbs, but with so many other contenders in front of him for the title such as Cory Sandhagen, Cody Garbrandt, and TJ Dillashaw, it might be in Rivera’s best interests to call for “big” fights while the title picture sorts itself out. In that case, it doesn’t get much bigger than a rematch with “The California Kid.”
Would you be interested in watching a rematch between Jimmie Rivera and Urijah Faber?