Quick Facts
Biography
Francisco Rivera Jr. (born October 8, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist. He fights as a bantamweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of August 17, 2015, he is #12 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. Rivera is known for his heavy hands and wild fighting style.
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: 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 Érik Pérez on July 30, 2016 at UFC 201. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Championships and achievements
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- Sherdog
- 2012 All-Violence First Team
- 2013 All-Violence Third Team
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 19 matches | 11 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 3 |
| By decision | 3 | 3 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 11–7 (1) | Érik Pérez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 201 | July 30, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 11–6 (1) | Brad Pickett | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping | February 27, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 11–5 (1) | John Lineker | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 191 | September 5, 2015 | 1 | 2:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 11–4 (1) | Alex Caceres | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson | June 6, 2015 | 1 | 0:21 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 (1) | Urijah Faber | Submission (bulldog choke) | UFC 181 | December 6, 2014 | 2 | 1:34 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–3 (1) | Takeya Mizugaki | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 173 | May 24, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 (1) | George Roop | TKO (punches) | UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 | November 6, 2013 | 2 | 2:20 | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 (1) | Edwin Figueroa | TKO (punches) | UFC 156 | February 2, 2013 | 2 | 4:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| NC | 8–2 (1) | Roland Delorme | NC (overturned) | UFC 149 | July 21, 2012 | 1 | 4:19 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Originally a KO (punches) win for Rivera; overturned after he tested positive for ephedra. |
| Win | 8–2 | Alex Soto | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | May 15, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Antonio Duarte | KO (punches) | Tachi Palace Fights 12 | March 9, 2012 | 1 | 1:15 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Brad McDonald | KO (punches) | TPF 11: Redemption | December 2, 2011 | 1 | 0:40 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Reuben Duran | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Finale | June 4, 2011 | 3 | 1:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Loss | 5–1 | Erik Koch | TKO (head kick and punches) | WEC 52 | November 11, 2010 | 1 | 1:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Fernando Bernstein | TKO (punches) | Called Out MMA 2 | January 24, 2010 | 1 | 0:30 | Ontario, California, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Aaron Arana | Decision (majority) | Called Out MMA 1 | August 15, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Ontario, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Johnny Gomez | Decision (unanimous) | Call To Arms 1 | May 16, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Ontario, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Chris Drumm | KO (punches) | California Xtreme Fighting | October 30, 2008 | 1 | 0:46 | El Monte, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Ray Cox | KO (punches) | CXF: Uprising in Upland | June 14, 2008 | 1 | 0:52 | Upland, California, United States |