Two of the UFC’s brightest young bantamweight prospects are set to meet at UFC on Fox 25 in Long Island as Jimmie Rivera looks to make it twenty victories in a row against Brazil’s Thomas Almeida.
First reported by Long Island-based Newsday.com, although not officially confirmed by the UFC, the bout would see the top-15 ranked bantamweights face-off in an exciting match-up, putting two of the promotion’s best active records up against each other, with both men having only tasted defeat once.
UFC on Fox 25 is due to take place on Saturday, July 22, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, New York and will signal the fifth time the UFC has visited the state since they finally passed legislation legalising the sport of MMA in 2016.
The 28-year-old Rivera (20-1) has been on a tear since entering the UFC, winning all four of his fights with the promotion and most recently collecting the scalp of soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber in a one-sided unanimous decision at UFC 203 last September. The New Jersey native has also collected wins in Bellator and WSOF with his only defeat coming via a split decision in his second professional fight way back in 2008.
Almeida (22-1), meanwhile, looks to continue his recovery after tasting defeat for the first time to now-bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt via a first round knockout in the main event of UFC Fight Night 88. Since then he has started on the road to redemption by scoring a second round TKO over Albert Morales in his home country of Brazil.
The victory at UFC Fight Night 100 would see the 25-year-old return to the win column immediately and a win over such a highly regarded challenger like Rivera would see him regain his contender status. Either way, the bout is sure to be a hit with the fans after Almeida has picked up UFC performance bonuses in each of his five wins for the promotion.
UFC on Fox 25 Fight Card
Patrick Cummins vs. Gian Villante
Frankie Perez vs. Chris Wade
Thomas Almeida vs. Jimmie Rivera
