February - 2016
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
20
which Miocic promptly won by ferocious knock
out. A fight between Rothwell and Miocic will
keep both fighters in the spotlight and allow
the winner to stake their claim as next in line
after Werdum-Velasquez II – if that’s the direc-
tion the UFC follows.
Bryan Barberena should have walked out to Pub-
lic Enemy on Saturday, because when it comes to
Sage Northcutt, he didn’t believe the hype. “Bam
Bam” took the fight against the surging 19-year-
old prospect on 8 days notice, opting to move
up to 170lbs to avoid what would have certainly
been a hellish short-notice weight cut. After los-
ing the first round to “Super” Sage, Barberena
took advantage of a Northcutt slip, showed strong
top control, pummeled Northcutt on the ground,
and sunk in an arm triangle, forcing the tap at the
three minute mark of the second round.
The win is Barberena’s most high-profile to date
and gives him some much-needed momentum af-
ter a loss to Chad Laprise at UFC 186 in April of
last year snapped his seven-fight win streak – six
of which came in regional promotions outside of
the UFC. Barberena still has a long way to go be-
fore he can call out the big dogs of the lightweight
division, so his best options are to knock off other
prospects on the fringe of a top 15 spot.
There are three potential fighters that would give
Barberena a competitive match-up, while main-
taining the divisional pecking order. James “Moon-
walker” Moontasri is coming off of an impressive
spinning backfist KO at UFC 193, putting him at
an even 2-2 in the UFC. Jon “Super Saiyan” Tuck
is another exciting lightweight prospect who has
alternated wins and losses over the course of his
five-fight UFC run, including a first round submis-
sion win at Fight Night 66 last April. And, finally,
Reza “Mad Dog” Madadi recently returned to ac-
tion last October after a long lay off due to some
personal legal issues. Although he lost a unani-
mous decision to Norman Parke, he’s 2-2 overall
in the UFC and is more than a handful for any-
one outside of the division’s top 15. None of these
fighters currently have scheduled opponents, so
hopefully “Bam Bam” can heal up quickly and get
back to action sooner rather than later.
Jimmie Rivera has certainly made the most of his
short time in the UFC. After KO-ing Marcus Brim-
age at Fight Night 72 in July 2015, Rivera was
booked against Pedro Munhoz at Fight Night 77
in November. He won a unanimous decision over
Munhoz, and the UFC rewarded him with a main
card slot against Iuri Alcantara at UFC on FOX 18.
Rivera earned a gritty unanimous decision win
over Alcantara, making it three straight in just
six months. While he’s still developing his MMA
game, the win against his first true top 15 oppo-
nent warrants another step up in competition. If
he’s healthy and looking to book a fight soon, he
may want to campaign for a fight with fellow up-
and-comer Rob Font. The Team Sityodtong fighter
has been plagued by injuries as of late, but re-
turned to action at Fight Night 81 to earn a 2nd
round TKO stoppage over Joey Gomez. Both fight-
ers are young and hungry, and although Rivera has
been much more active in his short UFC stint, Font
would provide a good test for his evolving skill set.
If Rivera is looking for a big jump in competition,
he might want to tune in for UFC Fight Night 83
on February 21st, where John Lineker will take
on Cody Garbrandt. Lineker is taking his second
fight at Bantamweight after continually struggling
to make the 125lbs Flyweight division limit. Gar-
brandt is 7-0 in his MMA career, including two
straight wins inside the octagon. Matching Rivera
up with the winner of Garbrandt vs Lineker would
be an intriguing fight with a top 10 opponent in
the winner’s future.
Jimmie Rivera
Possible Fights: Winner of Cody Gar-
brandt vs John Lineker, Rob Font
Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena
Possible Fights: James Moontasri,
Jon Tuck, Reza Madadi
