Francisco Rivera (fighter)

Background

Rivera graduated from Buena Park High School where he excelled in football eventually playing for Orange Coast College, until his foot was broken.

Mixed martial arts career

World Extreme Cagefighting

Rivera made his WEC debut replacing an injured Josh Grispi against Erik Koch at WEC 52. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, most WEC fighters were transferred into the UFC.

Rivera was expected to drop to Bantamweight and face Takeya Mizugaki on March 3, 2011, at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann. However, Rivera was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Reuben Duran.

Rivera faced Reuben Duran on June 4, 2011, at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale. He lost the fight via submission in the third round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Return to the UFC

Following two emphatic first round stoppages on the regional circuit, Rivera was re-signed by the UFC to face Alex Soto on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier, replacing Azamat Gashimov who was removed from the bout. Rivera won the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Rivera was expected to replace Edwin Figueroa against Ken Stone on June 22, 2012, at UFC on FX 4. However, Rivera was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Dustin Pague.

Rivera faced Roland Delorme on July 21, 2012, at UFC 149. Rivera defeated Delorme via first-round KO. However, Rivera later failed his post-fight drug test for an over-the-counter stimulant and the win was overturned to a No Contest.

After being clipped twice in the first round, Rivera rallied to defeat Edwin Figueroa on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156 in the second round, staggering him before getting a TKO stoppage.

Rivera was expected to face Hugo Viana on April 20, 2013, at UFC on Fox 7. However, Rivera was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by T.J. Dillashaw.

Rivera was expected to face George Roop on October 19, 2013, at UFC 166. However, the pairing was shifted to November 6, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 31. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Rivera was expected to face Raphael Assunção at UFC 170. However, Rivera was forced out of the bout due to injury.

Rivera faced Takeya Mizugaki on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Rivera faced Urijah Faber on December 6, 2014, at UFC 181. Rivera lost the fight via second round submission. However, the ending was controversial as Faber stunned Rivera with an eyepoke during a standup exchange. The eyepoke went unnoticed by the referee, but immediately preceded the fight ending submission. Rivera's management team indicated that they planned to appeal the result in hopes that it would be changed to a no contest, and hoped that the UFC could schedule a rematch with Faber. Ultimately, the NSAC upheld the result of a submission victory for Faber.

Rivera faced Alex Caceres on June 6, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 68. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Rivera faced John Lineker on September 5, 2015, at UFC 191. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. The wild slugfest earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.

Rivera faced Brad Pickett on February 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 84. He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.

Rivera next faced Erik Pérez on July 30, 2016, at UFC 201. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Rivera received a four-year USADA suspension for testing positive for a banned substance clenbuterol, collected from an out of competition sample on July 23, 2016. He was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career

Rivera was given a license to compete in California, and was scheduled to fight Trevin Jones at LXF 6 on March 20, 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rivera then faced Ryan Lilley at XMMA 8 on January 30, 2021. He won the fight via first-round knockout.

Rivera faced Adam Martinez in the first bout of the one night bantamweight tournament at Combate Global: Bantamweight Tournament on May 29, 2021. He won the bout via KO in the first round of a one round bout. In the Semifinals, he faced fellow UFC vet Nohelin Hernandez, who he defeated via unanimous decision. In the finals, Rivera faced David Martínez, to whom he lost in the second round after being dropped by a head kick and finished on the ground.

Rivera faced John Dodson on April 2, 2022, at XMMA 4. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Rivera faced Teruto Ishihara on August 20, 2022, at UNF 2. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Rivera faced fellow UFC veteran Cody Gibson at Up Next Fighting 3: Rivera vs. Gibson for the inaugural UNF Bantamweight Championship. Rivera lost the bout via submission in the third round due to an arm triangle choke.

Rivera returned to XMMA on May 3, 2023, at XMMA 6, facing Ricky Bandejas. The bout ended in a no contest after Rivera was poked in the eye in the second round and was unable to continue.

On July 1, 2023, Rivera would then face Dana White's Contender Series alum Josh Wang-Kim for the interim UNF bantamweight championship at UNF 9. He won the bout via unanimous decision and became the interim bantamweight champion.

Rivera would then face fellow UFC veteran Jesse Strader at UNF 16 for the vacant UNF Featherweight title on February 24, 2024. The fight was declared a no contest in the second round after Rivera was rendered unable to continue due to an unintentional eyepoke.

Rivera faced Albert Morales at UNF 21 on November 30, 2024 and lost by technical knockout via ground punches. In the post-fight interview, Rivera retired from MMA competition.

Championships and achievements

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. John Lineker
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2015: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year vs. John Lineker
• Sherdog
  • 2012 All-Violence First Team
  • 2013 All-Violence Third Team

Mixed martial arts record

| ko-wins= 10 | ko-losses= 3 | sub-wins= | sub-losses= 4 | dec-wins= 6 | dec-losses= 4 | dq-wins= | dq-losses= | other-wins=

| |Commerce, California, United States | |- |NC |Jesse Strader |NC (accidental eye poke) |UNF 16 | |Commerce, California, United States

| |Commerce, California, United States

| |Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States

| |Commerce, California, United States

| |Commerce, California, United States

| |New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |- |Loss |David Martínez |KO (head kick and punches)

| |West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

| |Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |- |Loss |Brad Pickett |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping | |London, England | |- | Loss | John Lineker | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 191 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |- | Loss | Urijah Faber | Submission (bulldog choke) | UFC 181 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | Takeya Mizugaki | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 173 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | George Roop | TKO (punches) | UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 | | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States | |- | Win | Edwin Figueroa | TKO (punches) | UFC 156 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | NC | Roland Delorme | NC (overturned) | UFC 149 | | Calgary, Alberta, Canada

| | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |- | Win | Antonio Duarte | KO (punches) | Tachi Palace Fights 12 | | Lemoore, California, United States | |- | Win | Brad McDonald | KO (punches) | TPF 11: Redemption | | Lemoore, California, United States | |- | Loss | Reuben Duran | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Finale | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Fernando Bernstein | TKO (punches) | Called Out MMA 2 | | Ontario, California, United States | |- | Win | Aaron Arana | Decision (majority) | Called Out MMA 1 | | Ontario, California, United States | |- | Win | Johnny Gomez | Decision (unanimous) | Call To Arms 1 | | Ontario, California, United States | |- | Win | Chris Drumm | KO (punches) | California Xtreme Fighting | | El Monte, California, United States | |- | Win | Ray Cox | KO (punches) | CXF: Uprising in Upland | | Upland, California, United States | Featherweight debut.

Amateur mixed martial arts record

|ko-wins=1 |ko-losses= |sub-wins= |sub-losses= |dec-wins=

| | Miami, Florida, United States

References

References

1. "Fight Card – UFC Fight Night Boetsch vs. Henderson". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
2. (January 27, 2013). "UFC 156's Cisco Rivera talks work ethic, tattoos, Erik Paulson at CSW & Eddie Cha at All-In MMA".
3. "Francisco Rivera Buena Park Alum".
4. "Francisco R. OCC Alum".
5. (2010-11-03). "Erik Koch to Stay on WEC 52 Card, Face Newcomer Francisco Rivera". mmafighting.com.
6. (October 28, 2010). "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com.
7. (2010-12-17). "Takeya Mizugaki Faces Francisco Rivera at UFC on Versus 3 March 3". MMAweekly.com.
8. (February 15, 2011). "Newcomer Reuben Duran signs on to face Takeya Mizugaki at UFC on Versus 3". mmajunkie.com.
9. (March 12, 2011). "Reuben Duran vs. Francisco Rivera slotted for The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale". mmajunkie.com.
10. (May 1, 2012). "Francisco Rivera replaces Azamat Gashimov, faces Alex Soto at UFC on FUEL TV 3". mmajunkie.com.
11. (May 5, 2012). "UFC on FUEL TV 3 results: Francisco Rivera outpowers Alex Soto, earns decision win". mmajunkie.com.
12. Martin, Damon. (June 6, 2012). "Francisco Rivera vs. Ken Stone Set for UFC on FX 4". mmaweekly.com.
13. (June 15, 2012). "Dustin Pague in for injured Francisco Rivera meets Ken Stone at UFC on FX 4". mmajunkie.com.
14. (June 19, 2012). "Roland Delorme vs. Francisco Rivera slated for UFC 149 in Calgary". mmajunkie.com.
15. (October 20, 2012). "UFC 149 wins for Riddle, Rivera overturned to no contests after positive drug tests". mmajunkie.com.
16. (December 12, 2012). "Edwin Figueroa-Francisco Rivera booked for UFC 156 in February". mmajunkie.com.
17. Tim Burke. (2013-02-02). "UFC 156 results: Francisco Rivera stops Edwin Figueroa late in the second round". bloodyelbow.com.
18. Ken Pishna. (March 5, 2013). "Francisco Rivera and Hugo Viana Agree to UFC on Fox 7 Bantamweight Battle". mmaweekly.com..
19. Matt Erickson. (2013-03-22). "T.J. Dillashaw replaces Francisco Rivera, meets Hugo Viana at UFC on FOX 7". mmajunkie.com.
20. Staff. (August 4, 2013). "George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera joins stacked UFC 166 lineup". mmajunkie.com.
21. Staff. (2013-08-23). "Rivera vs. Roop to UFC Fight Night 31". MMAJunkie.com.
22. Steven Marrocco. (2013-11-06). "UFC Fight Night 31 results, photos: Francisco Rivera swarms, stops George Roop". mmajunkie.com.
23. Matt Erickson. (18 December 2013). "Raphael Assuncao meets Francisco Rivera at UFC 170 in Las Vegas". MMAjunkie.com.
24. (February 3, 2014). "Broken hand knocks Francisco Rivera from UFC 170 fight with Raphael Assuncao". mmajunkie.com.
25. John Morgan. (2014-03-28). "Francisco Rivera steps in to fight Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 173". mmajunkie.com.
26. Steven Marrocco. (2014-05-24). "UFC 173 results, photos: Takeya Mizugaki tops Francisco Rivera in slugfest". mmajunkie.com.
27. Staff. (2014-10-15). "Urijah Faber meets Francisco Rivera at UFC 181 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
28. Tristen Critchfield. (2014-12-07). "Urijah Faber wasn't initially aware eye poke led to victory over Rivera at UFC 181". sherdog.com.
29. Marc Raimondi. (2014-12-07). "Francisco Rivera will appeal submission loss to Urijah Faber due to eye poke". sherdog.com.
30. Brent Brookhouse. (2015-02-17). "NSAC upholds UFC 181's Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera result despite eye-poke". mmajunkie.com.
31. Damon Martin. (2015-04-14). "Francisco Rivera vs. Alex Caceres joins UFC Fight Night in New Orleans". foxsports.com.
32. Damon Martin. (2015-06-06). "Francisco Rivera needs just 21 seconds to finish Alex Caceres". foxsports.com.
33. Staff. (2015-07-15). "Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson II headlines UFC 191 on September 5 in Las Vegas". themmareport.com.
34. Ben Fowlkes. (2015-09-05). "UFC 191 results, highlights: John Lineker taps Francisco Rivera in first after crazy slugfest". mmajunkie.com.
35. Tristen Critchfield. (2015-09-05). "UFC 191 Bonuses: John Lineker, Francisco Rivera garner $50K for wild slugfest". sherdog.com.
36. Staff. (2016-01-22). "Francisco Rivera in for Henry Briones to meet Brad Pickett at UFC Fight Night 84". mmajunkie.com.
37. Dave Doyle. (2016-02-27). "UFC Fight Night 84 results: Brad Pickett takes questionable decision from Francisco Rivera". mmafighting.com.
38. Tristen Critchfield. (2015-05-24). "Bantamweights Erik-Perez, Francisco Rivera to clash at UFC 201". sherdog.com.
39. Brent Brookhouse. (2016-07-30). "UFC 201 results: Erik Perez tops Francisco Rivera by decision in unusual brawl". mmajunkie.com.
40. (2018-01-20). "USADA hands Francisco Rivera four-year suspension". MMAjunkie.
41. Farah Hannoun. (April 22, 2020). "With USADA suspension nearing completion, Francisco Rivera eyes final UFC run". mmajunkie.com.
42. (August 20, 2020). "Trevin Jones vervangt Mark Striegl aanstaande zaterdag tegen Timur Valiev tijdens UFC on ESPN 15".
43. Nolan King. (January 18, 2021). "Ex-UFC fighter Francisco Rivera booked to compete in first fight since 2016 USADA suspension". [[MMAjunkie.com]].
44. Ben Duffy. (January 31, 2021). "Andre Fialho Brutalizes James Vick in XMMA Headliner". [[Sherdog]].
45. Holland, Jesse. (2021-05-21). "Combate Global books 8-man tourney for May 29 in Miami".
46. "Combate Global Results: Martinez Claims Bantamweight Tournament with Finish of Rivera".
47. (2022-03-11). "14 former UFC fighters booked for XMMA 4 card in New Orleans".
48. (2022-04-03). "XMMA 4 video results, full replay: John Dodson tops Francisco Rivera; Jared Gooden and Kyle Stewart thrive".
49. "Teruto Ishihara vs. Francisco Rivera Jr., UNF 2 {{!}} MMA Bout".
50. "Francisco Rivera Jr. vs. Cody Gibson, UNF 3 {{!}} MMA Bout".
51. AlexBehunin. (2023-05-04). "Highlights! Ex-UFC Fighters Shine At XMMA 6".
52. "Fight Results".
53. Alexander Behunin. (2024-12-01). "Former UFC fighter Francisco Rivera retires after first round stoppage loss: 'I can't do this anymore'". mmamania.com.
54. Thomas Gerbasi. (December 25, 2015). "10 Best – Greatest UFC fights of 2015". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
55. Jordan Breen. (January 5, 2013). "Sherdog.com's 2012 All-Violence Team". [[Sherdog]].
56. Jordan Breen. (January 12, 2014). "2013 All-Violence Third Team". [[Sherdog]].