Cracking our top three on our 2011 World MMA Bantamweight Scouting Report, Tiger Schulmann product Jimmie Rivera lands on the countdown. Recent victories over Jared Papazian and Abel Cullum have put Rivera in line for a bump up to the big show, but his relentless style of attack lends credence to the notion that he could do major damage in the lower rungs of the UFC’s bantamweight division as he continues to progress.
Offensive Skills: Rivera’s style could be likened to the same style that UFC veteran Clay Guida brings inside the Octagon every time he fights. Relentless conditioning mixed with solid wrestling skills and an endless drive to win. As a product of Team Tiger Schulmann, you may expect Rivera to be more prone to striking with his opponents, but his striking game only acts as a supplement to his effective takedown game. Even in late round affairs, Rivera has the cardio to drive through his opponents, a key asset in some of the biggest wins of his career.
His record isn’t indicative of great submission skills, but Rivera is a solid grappler for a guy coming out a camp well-known for their striking. He has shown all the skills to be a true threat on the floor, just not the technical acumen to produce a bevy of submission wins at this stage in his career.
Defensive Skills: Rivera’s wrestling, like most wrestlers, provides him with a means to avoiding most attacks on the feet. His Muay Thai skills are above average, but he’s normally at a reach disadvantage as he’s one of the shorter fighters in the division at 5’4″. His wrestling comes in handy in those encounters, barreling through opponents who wade in too far. Quick, speedy footwork plays a large role in his ability to avoid damage as well.
Progression: Rivera has become one of the more well-rounded athletes on our countdown, despite not showing a propensity to strike with his opponents. His golden ticket to the big leagues is his ability to out work and smother opponents in a relentless strategy of takedowns and an active top control game. That style hasn’t always been Jimmie’s bread and butter, but as he’s taken on stiffer competition — it’s been the combination of skills that has become a staple in his winning strategy. As time has passed, those tactics have become efficient and consistent.
Environment: Rivera trains out of Team Tiger Schulmann, a camp that is rising in recognition as a premier camp in the New England region. Lyman Good, Nick Pace, and Uriah Hall all call the camp home.
| Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|
| #10 – Denis Puric #9 – Mike Easton #8 – Tommy Vargas #7 – Rodrigo Lima #6 – Adrian Wooley #5 – John Lineker #4 – Yusup Saadulaev #3 – Jimmie Rivera |
#1 – Antonio Carvalho #2 – Taiki Tsuchiya #3 – Mark Adams #4 – Alan Omer #5 – Koichiro Matsumoto #6 – Tom Niinimaki #7 – Marcos Vinicius #8 – Matt Fiordirosa #9 – Isaac DeJesus #10 – Michel Gagnon |
#1 – Thiago Michel #2 – Ricardo Tirloni #3 – Magno Almeida #4 – Ui Cheol Nam #5 – Henrique Mello #6 – Reza Madadi #7 – Alexander Sarnavskiy #8 – Ole Laursen #9 – Guillaume DeLorenzi #10 – Al Iaquinta |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|
| #1 – Yuri Villefort #2 – Alex Garcia #3 – Erick Silva #4 – Douglas Lima #5 – Luis “Sapo” Santos #6 – Jesse Juarez #7 – Gunnar Nelson #8 – Quinn Mulhern #9 – Alberto Mina #10 – Joe Ray |
#1 – Papy Abedi #2 – Chris Weidman #3 – Vitor Vianna #4 – Vyacheslav Vasilevsky #5 – Bruno Santos #6 – Costantinos Philippou #7 – Jordan Smith #8 – Uriah Hall #9 – Victor O’Donnell #10 – Assan Njie |
#1 – Marcos Pezao #2 – Gian Villante #3 – Jimi Manuwa #4 – Glover Teixeira #5 – Jan Blachowicz #6 – Yoel Romero #7 – Ryan Jimmo #8 – Nik Fekete #9 – Marcus Vanttinen #10 – Ronny Markes |
Potential: Rivera is ready for the big leagues. There is a concern that a promotion like the UFC may not want to give Rivera the opportunity due to his plethora of decisions recently. I would agree if Rivera was a rather boring fighter to watch, but he’s active and threatening throughout his fights. He is, however, limited in what he can do due to his size, which is a problem if he intends to wreak havoc in the upper portions of the division.
That doesn’t affect how we feel about his placement however. He’s one of the top bantamweight prospects in the world, and he possesses the skills to defeat some highly-regarded talent in the shallow end of the UFC’s bantamweight division.
Video
Jimmie Rivera vs. Willie Gates
Jimmie Rivera vs. Dave Duncan
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