Jorge Luis Rivera (born February 28, 1972) is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division. Perhaps best known for his 15 fights in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

, he was also featured on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4,'' after competing for

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under ...

and Cage Rage in England.

Background

Jorge Luis Rivera was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He and his family then moved to

Milford, Massachusetts Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,379 according to the 2020 census. First settled in 1662 and incorporated in 1780, Milford became a booming industrial and quarrying community in the 19th ...

before finally settling down in

Bellingham, Massachusetts Bellingham () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,945 at the 2020 census. The town sits on the southwestern fringe of Metropolitan Boston, along the rapidly growing "outer belt" that is Interstate 49 ...

. Rivera is of Puerto Rican descent, and being one of the ethnic minorities in these towns, he along with his siblings often got into street fights. When Rivera was 25 years old, he began training in mixed martial arts.

Military career

Rivera served as a 19K M1 Armor Crewman with A/1-70 Armor at

Fort Polk, Louisiana Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. Named after New Yo ...

. He participated in moving the unit from

Fort Polk Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. Named after New Yo ...

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...

before his enlistment ended in 1992.

Mixed martial arts career

Rivera's first sanctioned fight was in 2001, when he was 29 years old against Branden Lee Hinkle in Chester, West Virginia. Lee Hinkle, who had been fighting professionally for three years, also had the legendary

Mark Coleman Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first List of UFC champions#Tournament ...

in his corner. Rivera landed a solid straight right hand early, that knocked out Lee Hinkle's mouthpiece and caused him to stumble, but then responded using his wrestling, picking up and slamming Rivera. Lee Hinkle then proceeded to land many punches that caused referee

Din Thomas Din Yero Thomas ( ; born September 28, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist who was featured on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback''. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Thomas is a UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist ...

to stop the fight, making Lee Hinkle the winner by

TKO A technical knockout (TKO) is a professional fighting term. TKO may also refer to: Sports * TKO, the name of a professional wrestling move referring to either the cutter or stunner variant * TKO Group Holdings, a combat sports company Music Ar ...

. Rivera's first fight in the UFC was a unanimous decision victory over David Loiseau at ''

UFC 44 ''UFC 44: Undisputed'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 26, 2003, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in ...

''. He then followed up with back-to-back submission losses to Lee Murray at ''

UFC 46 ''UFC 46: Supernatural'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 31, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and ...

'' and

Rich Franklin Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American businessman and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and a former UFC Midd ...

at ''

UFC 50 ''UFC 50: The War of '04'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 22, 2004, at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and lat ...

'' before rebounding with a unanimous decision win over Dennis Hallman at '' UFC 55''. Rivera was defeated by

Chris Leben Christian Cyrus Leben (born July 21, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist, referee, and bare knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2002 until 2013, he most notably competed in the UFC in the Middleweight division, compiling ...

by technical knockout before appearing on

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

4 as a

contestant. Although Rivera was not successful in achieving a slot in the middleweight finals, he appeared on the live card of The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale, defeating Edwin DeWees by

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in the first round. Jorge then was defeated by Terry Martin by KO via an

uppercut The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut) is a punch used in boxing that starts low and travels upwards vertically aiming at the opponent's chin or upper abdomen (so-called " solar plexus"). It is, along with the cross, one of the two main p ...

at UFC 67, fourteen seconds into round one. Jorge broke his jaw from the knockout punch and did not compete until

UFC 80 ''UFC 80: Rapid Fire'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), that took place on January 19, 2008 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, United Kingdom. Background The main event was originally sc ...

, where he knocked out heavy favorite

Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King ...

in the first round. He went 4–3 after the upset, with wins over

Eric Schafer Eric John Schafer (born September 20, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 until 2016, he competed for the UFC. Background Schafer attended the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. Schafer is a black belt in ...

Nate Quarry Nathan Parker "Nate" Quarry (born March 19, 1972) is a retired United States, American mixed martial arts fighter who is most notable for his appearance in ''The Ultimate Fighter'', a reality show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well ...

, Nissen Osterneck and submission artist Rob Kimmons, with his only losses since coming from top level opponents

Martin Kampmann Martin Kampmann (born April 17, 1982) is a retired Danish professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former Cage Warriors World Middleweight Champion. Background Originally from Aarhus, Denmark ...

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

, and Costas Philippou. Rivera was scheduled to face

Alessio Sakara Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has als ...

on August 28, 2010 at

UFC 118 ''UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 28, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The third UFC Fan Expo coincided with the event. This event was t ...

, but was forced off the card with an arm injury and replaced by Gerald Harris. Rivera/Sakara was expected to take place on November 13, 2010 at

UFC 122 ''UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in ...

. The fight was scrapped the day of the fight due to a "flu-like" illness from Sakara. On February 27, 2011 at

UFC 127 ''UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, February 26 in Nor ...

Rivera lost to

by way of TKO at 1:54 in the 2nd round. Weeks before he was set to fight Bisping, Rivera made some videos mocking and insulting Bisping and his family. The bout between Rivera and Sakara had been rescheduled again for August 6, 2011 at

UFC 133 ''UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of mun ...

. Before Rivera's fight against Sakara, Rivera mentioned that he may retire from the sport after his next fight due to his age. Rivera instead faced Costas Philippou. He lost the fight via split decision. Rivera faced

on January 20, 2012 at

UFC on FX 1 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. After a dominant first round from Schafer due to takedowns and ground control, Rivera turned the fight around in the second round and won by TKO due to punches. Following the fight, Rivera retired from mixed martial arts competition.

Personal life

Rivera has a son and four daughter. On August 5, 2008, his oldest daughter Janessa Marie died unexpectedly from a reaction to prescription medication.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

**UFC.com Awards ***2008: Ranked #6 Upset of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 20–9 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–9 , Costas Philippou , Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–8 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:54 ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:29 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–7 , Rob Kimmons , TKO (punches) , UFC 104 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7 , Nissen Osterneck , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

UFC 85 ''UFC 85: Bedlam'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on June 7, 2008, at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. Background The card was plagued by a number of injuries sustained by scheduled fight ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Terry Martin , KO (punches) , UFC 67 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:14 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Edwin Dewees , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Timothy Williams , TKO (punches) , WFL – Real: No Fooling Around , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 ,

Revere, Massachusetts Revere (, ) is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Located approximately northeast of Downtown Boston, Revere is the terminus of the Blue Line (MBTA), MBTA Blue Line, with three stations located within the city: Wonderland station, Wonderla ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Dennis Hallman , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 55 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Marcelo Azevedo , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Rage 13 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Danny Vega , Technical submission (arm-triangle choke) , WFL: Unleashed , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 ,

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 ...

, TKO (knees and punches) , Cage Rage 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:53 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Alex Reid , KO (punches) , Cage Rage 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Mark Weir , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Cage Rage 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , James Gabert , TKO (punches) , MMA: Eruption , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:10 ,

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 , Lee Murray , Submission (triangle armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , David Loiseau , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Solomon Hutcherson , KO (punches) , USMMA 3: Ring of Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Andy Lagden , Submission (rear naked choke) , CWFC 2 - Fists of Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 ,

Travis Lutter Travis Lutter (born May 12, 1973) is a retired American mixed martial artist who won '' The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Machado. Background Lutter was born and raised in Gann Vall ...

, TKO (punches) , USMMA 2: Ring of Fury , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Joe Nye , TKO (punches) , USMMA 1: Ring of Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Brian Hawkins , KO (punches) , TFC FightZone: Back in the Zone , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Elias Rivera , TKO (punches) , Mass Destruction 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:50 ,

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Branden Lee Hinkle , TKO (corner stoppage) , RSF 2: Attack at the Track , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:54 , Chester, West Virginia, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Jorge Living people 1972 births American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American people of Puerto Rican descent Hispanic and Latino American military personnel Middleweight mixed martial artists Puerto Rican Army personnel Military personnel from Boston Military personnel from Massachusetts Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters United States Army personnel of the Gulf War 20th-century American sportsmen