Tag: Jimmie Rivera

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Global Fight League announces launch, roster includes giant list of former UFC fighters

GFL has arrived – and it’s bringing fairly massive names from UFC yesteryears with it.

A new player has entered the MMA landscape, and it has arrived with some big names.

Wednesday, Global Fight League (GFL) announced its official launch will come in the opening weeks of 2025. The GFL concept differs from that of UFC and PFL.

While it has a league format and playoffs, it is also team-based and has a draft. There will be six franchises (names and cities to follow). The draft is scheduled for Jan. 24, with an inaugural event to follow in April.

Who’s fighting?

Co-founder Darren Owen revealed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday that the promotion has over 300 fighters under contract. Not all fighters will be drafted.

Of the 92 fighters posted to the promotion’s official website, 45 of them are former UFC fighters. Names include Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Kevin Lee, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior Dos Santos among others.

Scroll below to see the released names:

  • [autotag]Marcel Adur[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Amirkhon Alikhuzhaev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Omar Arteaga[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Deberson Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Raimundo Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stephen Beaumont[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudeci Brito[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Will Brooks[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Yan Cabral[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexsandro Cangaty[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rafael Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayton de Paepe[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Patrizio de Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcelo Dias[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tonya Evinger[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kalindra Faria[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marciano Ferreira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chauncey Foxworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Glaico Franca[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Guto Inocente[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Michael Irizarry[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]
  • [autotag]William Lima[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ruan Machado[/autotag]
  • [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandr Maslov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Dominick Meriweather[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Silvania Monteiro[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Killys Motta[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayinda Octave[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Oliveira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oscar Ownsworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Denis Palancica[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rousimar Palharaes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jefferson Pontes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cleiton Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Julio Spadaccini[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Soukhamthath[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Roggers Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gabriel Souza Galindo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Mohamed Tarek Mohey[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Teixeira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oli Thompson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Austin Tweedy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Feruz Usmonov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]

What does GFL provide athletes that other promotions don’t?

According to Owen, GFL offers fighters a 50-50 split in revenue sharing. Additionally, the promotion provides comprehensive support for training and medical bills, retirement benefits, insurance coverage, and more.

Who is behind GFL and where is the money coming from?

Owen is listed as the co-founder and commissioner for GFL and serves essentially as the public face for the promotion. He served as COO of PFL vs. October 2015 to May 2020 and was the founder and CEO of World Series of Fighting Canada, according to his LinkedIn page.

Also listed on the promotion’s website are Arun Parimi (co-founder and COO), Scott Parker (CMO), and Jeffrey Pollack (senior advisor).

Owen declined to identify the source of the funds behind the operation, but did say it’s a silicon valley investor.

How does the regular season work?

Similarly to PFL, GFL has a point system for regular season fights.

A finish victory notches a fighter’s team four points. A decision win earns three points. A draw earns two points. A decision loss earns one point. If a fighter loses by finish, he or she walks away with zero points.

BKFC 61 results: Jimmie Rivera out-battles Daniel Straus; Mike Trizano wows with 62-second knockout

BKFC headed to New England for the first time with a card featuring UFC alum Jimmie Rivera against former Bellator champion Daniel Straus.

For the first time, the world’s leading bareknuckle boxing organization touched down in New England on Saturday.

BKFC 61 took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and streamed on Triller TV with prelims live and free on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, former UFC bantamweight contender [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (2-1-1) out-battled former Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Daniel Straus[/autotag] (0-2).

Rivera picked up his second bareknuckle win with a unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 50-45) victory over Straus, who still seeks his first.

“TUF 27” winner [autotag]Mike Trizano[/autotag] (1-0) made an immediate impact in his bareknuckle debut as he became the first man to defeat [autotag]Louie Lopez[/autotag] (3-1). A brutal right-left combination was all it took. Lopez was unable to get to his feet and the fight was stopped 62 seconds in.

Also on the card, former Bellator title challenger and Olympic judoka [autotag]Rick Hawn[/autotag] (1-0) defeated longtime regional MMA veteran [autotag]Stephen Stengel[/autotag] (0-1) with a 35-second TKO. Hawn, who is 47, lost his original opponent the day prior to the bout but agreed to fight the much larger Stengel on short notice.

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Check out the live BKFC 61 results below:

  • Jimmie Rivera def. Daniel Straus via unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 50-45)
  • Mike Trizano def. Louie Lopez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:02
  • Ryan Reber def. Anthony Foye via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 48-47)
  • Natalie Gage def. Sarah Click via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 2, 2:00
  • Rick Hawn def. Stephen Stengel via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:35
  • Zachary Calmus def. Connor McKenna via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 1:49
  • Patrick Brady def. Lewis Rumsey via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:41
  • Scott Roberts def. Chris Sarro via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 1, 0:27
  • Pat Casey def. Sam Watford via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-43, 50-43)
  • Danny Pettit def. Dylan Felion via TKO (punch) – Round 3, 0:36

UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera vs. ex-Bellator champ Daniel Straus to co-headline BKFC 61

What could be a certified banger between a UFC veteran and former Bellator champion is set to co-headline BKFC 61.

What could be a certified banger between a UFC veteran and former Bellator champion is set to co-headline BKFC 61.

The promotion announced Monday that [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Straus[/autotag] will go down May 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The featherweight bout will serve as the BKFC 61 co-main event to the headliner between Heather Hardy and Christine Ferea for the “Queen of Violence” crown.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ORXxqLifv/?igsh=MTA0YXdxbDVjNHMwbA%3D%3D

Since exiting the UFC in early 2021, Rivera, 34, has gone 1-1-1 in three BKFC appearances. He most recently lost by third-round TKO to fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens last December at BKFC 56.

Straus, 39, is a former two-time Bellator featherweight champ. He’s made one previous bareknuckle appearance, losing by unanimous decision to Dat Nguyen in April 2023 at BKFC 38.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420038933]

BKFC 56 results: Jeremy Stephens cuts Jimmie Rivera with one punch, wins by doctor’s stoppage TKO

Things weren’t exactly going Jeremy Stephens’ way against Jimmie Rivera – until he changed that with one punch at BKFC 56.

Things weren’t exactly going [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]’ way against [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] – until he changed that with one punch.

Making his bareknuckle boxing debut, Stephens earned a doctor’s stoppage TKO over fellow former UFC standout Rivera on Saturday night at BKFC 56 in Salt Lake City. The fight was called after the third round when Rivera suffered a nasty laceration over his left eye thanks to a Stephens uppercut.

It was a disappointing end for Rivera, who was effective through two rounds as he attacked both the head and body and appeared to be the quicker fighter. But Rivera couldn’t land a power punch that could phase Stephens.

In Round 3, Stephens turned the tide once he scored a knockdown as the clinched with Rivera once he closed distance. That one shot not only dropped Rivera but cut him open.

Once the doctor got a closer look, Rivera was deemed unfit to continue with the cut.

With the loss, Rivera is now 0-1-1 in BKFC. He drew with Howard Davis in his debut last year.

[lawrence-related id=2700263]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 56.

Gloves off, badge on: Former UFC contender Jimmie Rivera doubles as police officer, BKFC fighter

A lot has changed in the life of former UFC fighter Jimmie Rivera since the COVID-19 pandemic.

When then-UFC contender [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag]’s wife told him he needed to get out of the house and find work for his own sanity, he knew she was right.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit New York and New Jersey hard. With fighting opportunities sparse and gyms closed, the uncertainty engulfed him. The MMA classes on Zoom weren’t cutting it.

“I won’t say I have ADHD, but I can’t stop,” Rivera recently told MMA Junkie. “I always have to work. I’ve always got to do something. I’m all about the grinding. … It’s also very bad mentally, to not do anything. You see people who retire and they don’t do anything. They end up getting right back into it or they mentally degrade and don’t look the best any more.”

Rather than sit and wait for opportunity to come to him, Rivera paved his own way. It was baby steps and when he departed the UFC in 2021, the transition became seamless. Rivera reached out to Elmwood Park Police Department chief Mike Foligno and began a journey down a different path.

“I told him I wanted to get a little dispatch in,” Rivera said. “I told him I wanted to get my feet wet a little bit. At the same time, he was like, ‘Yeah, I want to launch this program.’ So we launched a program with Ron Schulmann, one of the co-founders of Tyger Schulmann’s. That did great.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn5sAIIs7dy/?img_index=1

Rivera dispatched for a while and gained a better understanding of the ins and outs of the police world. But what he found real pride and passion in above all else was bringing his knowledge of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to officers.

According to Rivera, the program has proven successful thus far.

“People who are cops who are scared, they overcompensate at 100 when this could’ve been settled at a 1 or a zero,” Rivera said. “It didn’t have to be like that. We’ve seen it already with the Elmwood Park Police Department (N.J.). The use of force has gone down. Complaints have gone down. It’s a completely crazy nine-day difference after doing it for a couple years, twice a year. What a tremendous difference.”

The health benefits of such training – both mental and physical – are not to be lost on Rivera, nor those he’s helped.

“Health is very close to mental illness,” Rivera said. “So being able to take care of your health is going to be able to take care of your mental illness. Police officers, they don’t have mental illness, but they have a lot of stress. This sh*t helps them a lot, just getting in, hitting a bag, relieving stress on the bag, and at the same time, getting a workout in. It’s something else we do as well.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuary31tCQI/

Pre-pandemic, Rivera was a UFC contender. Now, he’s a gym owner, program instructor, BKFC fighter, and a police officer since he graduated from the academy in January. COVID-19 was largely responsible for the major life changes. Above everything else, Rivera has a sense of pride and reward in the work he does despite the 70-80 work weeks.

Whether it’s responding to medical emergencies, gang violence, or parking complaints, Rivera’s day-to-day varies. The department has found it best for him to focus on community policing due to his standing and notoriety in the the area. Rivera likes the uplifting side of the job best.

“If I can help people, that’s my goal,” Rivera said. “I wasn’t put on this planet not to do sh*t. I definitely made a mark in fighting. It feels good, man, when you give back. It feels real good.”

Video: Watch BKFC 56 ceremonial faceoffs featuring Mike Perry vs. Eddie Alvarez, more

Check out the BKFC 56 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs featuring Mike Perry vs. Eddie Alvarez, Jeremy Stephens vs. Jimmie Rivera, and more.

The world’s biggest bareknuckle boxing promotion is back with one of its most high-profile events to date.

BKFC 56 takes place Saturday at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah as two pairs of former UFC contenders collide and three title fights take place. Friday, all of the fighters from Saturday’s card will come face-to-face one final time ahead of their bouts.

In the main event, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] chuck knuckles to determine the “King of Violence.” Also on the card, [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] battles [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] in a matchup between two former UFC staples.

Three title fights are on tap, too: [autotag]Bec Rawlings[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag], [autotag]Kai Stewart[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Howard Davis[/autotag], and [autotag]Arnold Adams[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mick Terrill[/autotag].

The full BKFC 56 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Mike Perry vs. Eddie Alvarez – for “King of Violence” title
  • Champion Bec Rawlings vs. Christine Ferea – for women’s flyweight title
  • Champion Kai Stewart vs. Howard Davis – for featherweight title
  • Arnold Adams vs. Mick Terrill – for vacant heavyweight title
  • Jimmie Rivera vs. Jeremy Stephens
  • Bridger Bercier vs. Ben Moa
  • Mike Jones vs. Erick Lozano

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Ernesto Rodriguez vs. Keegan Vandermeer
  • Trevor Bradshaw vs. Troy Dennison
  • Danny Hilton vs. LJ Schulz

Video: BKFC 56 fight-week press conference faceoff highlights, with Christine Ferea and Bec Rawlings locked in

Christine Ferea and Bec Rawlings couldn’t take their eyes off each other before their rematch at BKFC 56.

The BKFC 56 fight-week news conference took place Thursday in American Fork, Utah and afterward, 12 fighters from six main-card bouts came face to face.

In the main event, former UFC standouts [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] meet in a middleweight bout for the “King of Violence” title. And in the co-main event, champ [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] defends her women’s flyweight title in a rematch with [autotag]Bec Rawlings[/autotag].

Two other title fights are on the main card: featherweight champ [autotag]Kai Stewart[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Howard Davis[/autotag]; and [autotag]Arnold Adams[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mick Terrill[/autotag] for the vacant heavyweight title. Another all-UFC bout takes place, as well, between [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] and [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag].

Check out the video above to see those 10 combatants face off ahead of their bouts.

BKFC 56, one of the promotion’s biggest cards of the year, takes place Saturday at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on FITE and the BKFC App.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 56.

Video: BKFC 56 fight-week press conference live stream

Watch the final news conference ahead of BKFC 56, which features 12 fighters, including headliners Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez.

The BKFC 56 fight-week news conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the festivities right here on MMA Junkie beginning at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

The news conference is set to go down at Bucked Up National Headquarters in American Fork, Utah with 12 fighters and BKFC president David Feldman expected to be in attendance. Former UFC champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] and former UFC standout [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag], who headline the event, will be there, as well as co-headliners [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag], both former UFC heavyweights. The event also features three championship bouts and another pair of former UFC standouts throwing down, [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag].

BKFC 56, one of the promotion’s biggest cards of the year, takes place Saturday at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on FITE and the BKFC App.

You can watch the fight-week news conference in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 56.

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action Nov. 30-Dec. 2

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to The Lone Star State’s capitol.

UFC on ESPN 52 takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas is headlined by a lightweight bout between [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.