It wasn't worth the wait for Jimmie Rivera.
Months of back and forth between #5 Marlon Moraes and #4 Jimmie Rivera led to a head kick TKO in a matter of 33 seconds at UFC Utica. The two had traded verbal jabs as far back as December before the bout finally took place.
You can see an excerpt of our UFC Utica live coverage below.
#4 Jimmie Rivera vs. #5 Marlon Moraes
Round One: The round begins with Moraes attacking Rivera with some leg kicks, Moraes destroys Rivera with a head kick and he pounces on him with strikes until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: #5 Marlon Moraes def. #4 Jimmie Rivera by KO via strikes (0:33, R1)
The fight likely will serve as a UFC Bantamweight Title eliminator bout, with the championship being decided between title holder TJ Dillashaw and former champion Cody Garbrandt in August. Moraes states that he wanted a title shot in his post-fight promo after the win.
Moraes was a dominant bantamweight champion in WSOF, defending his title successfully five times before moving to the UFC. Upon entering the company, Moraes dropped a controversial split decision to Raphael Assuncao, but has reeled off three straight wins.
You can see our full coverage of UFC Utica at this link.
