5 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmie Rivera

Two top-notch bantamweights, Jimmie Rivera and Marlon Moraes, both ranked inside the top 5, will collide at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, New York.

The slightly younger Rivera, also known as “El Terror,” has yet to suffer a defeat since his second professional fight a decade ago. Moraes, on the other hand, has lost only once since December of 2011. Before they lock horns, here are five things you might not know about Rivera.

Outside of his family, there is one thing he loves more than fighting. Given his success in mixed martial arts, you'd think that fighting is his first passion. The truth is, fighting, for Rivera, only comes second to teaching as he finds joy in seeing people learn and progress. He has his own school in Manhattan, New York, a franchise of Team Tiger Schulmann. Schulmann is, of course, his longtime trainer, and the gym has around 50 franchises on the East Coast.

He once turned down a fight because it fell on his honeymoon weekend. Rivera received a bout agreement against Moraes for UFC on Fox 28. However, it was scheduled on the weekend of his honeymoon, which he had already rescheduled twice. This time, he couldn’t afford to move it to another date again.

He once engaged in sort of a push-up battle with a lady in the gym. The lady was Schulmann's daughter, who at the time had a crush on the then 15-year-old Rivera. She was already training for her black belt then, and Rivera was helping out with teaching chores. One time when Schulmann's daughter dropped for 50 push-ups, Rivera joined her. Schulmann then challenged Rivera: If she does 50, then he should do a hundred more. She was able to do 50, and Rivera did as instructed.

His uncle gave him his nickname. Much like he would brag about his own children, Rivera’s uncle Danny would tell his coworkers how good of a fighter Rivera was, saying his nephew is "El Terror" wherever he goes. On the day of his first amateur fight, Rivera called up his uncle, who was then on his way to the venue. He told Danny that people were asking for his nickname, and Danny advised him to say, “El Terror.” So he told the announcer, and from that day on, he has been living up to his moniker.

He loves the “Karate Kid” and the Ninja Turtles. With martial arts around him, Rivera started training at a very young age. He still remembers his first class and said that he enjoyed it so much. His favorite movies growing up were “The Karate Kid” and the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”