Urijah Faber’s bantamweight career will continue on this September, with the UFC announcing on Tuesday afternoon that “The California Kid” will meet Jimmie Rivera at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Sept. 10 card is the UFC’s first ever in the city of Cleveland, headlined by a Heavyweight Title bout between hometown hero Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem.
Faber dropped a decision to Dominick Cruz last month at UFC 199 in their rubber match for the UFC Bantamweight Championship, his seventh straight loss with a title on the line. It snapped a three-fight bantamweight winning streak, which was only interrupted by a featherweight loss to Frankie Edgar.
He’s now going to keep things going at 37-years-old, and he’ll meet a talented bantamweight ten years his junior in Rivera. Coming in at 19-1 with three straight wins in the UFC, Rivera enters this event off an impressive decision win over Iuri Alcantara in January. Rivera has won 18 straight fights overall in his professional career, dating back to his second career fight.
Penick’s Analysis: That’s a real solid bantamweight fight. Faber’s lost a step in his last couple fights, but he’s still a top end competitor even then. Rivera’s got a lot of potential and has a chance to break into the top five here. It’s a beneficial, probably competitive fight for both, and it’s a real solid addition to this UFC 203 card.
[Photo (c) Gary A. Vasquez via USA Today Sports]
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