UFC 80: Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
Kendall Grove will likely face Jorge Rivera at UFC 80 in England according to the official Xtreme Couture blog though contracts for the bout have yet to be signed:
Contracts haven’t been signed yet, but we’re told Kendall Grove’s next opponent will be “The Conquistador” Jorge Rivera. The fight is being planned as part of UFC 80 in Newcastle, England. Jorge recently won 2 fights in England’s Cage Rage promotion and has been building his name across the pond.
Expect a formal announcement in coming days.
After entering the third season of The Ultimate Fighter with a modest 5-3 record Grove defeated Ross Pointon, Kalib Starnes, and Ed Herman to capture the TUF 3 title. He emerged as a rising contender in the middleweight division with back-to-back wins over Chris Price and Alan Belcher. Grove was handed the first setback of his UFC career in August when he lost to Patrick Cote by late-first round knockout at UFC 74. Despite the loss Grove remains a very legitimate threat in the thin middleweight division and a short win streak could earn the Hawaiian fighter a shot at the middleweight title.
Rivera is a long-time UFC veteran debuting for the promotion at UFC 44 in 2003. He earned wins over David Loiseau, Dennis Hallman, and Edwin Dewees while dropping bouts against Lee Murray, Chris Leben, and Rich Franklin. In his last fight Rivera was knocked out by Terry Martin in just 14-seconds at UFC 67 in February
For more on UFC 80 check out the MMAFrenzy.com rumors section.
Damn, didn’t realize Rivera was still in the mix. Never did care for him. First time I saw him was against Franklin I think and my favorite fighter destroyed him.
Speaking of Ace, what’s next for him? Would a spot in the WEC make sense? Fight some lesser known guys, or maybe take Filho for a title shot? Then afterwards make another comeback when Anderson no longer has the belt (Lord knows that won’t be anytime soon)? I don’t think him being a gatekeeper to Silva would be a good idea because most of the guys in that division can get past him. Only three guys in the UFC have a good chance with Franklin. That’s #1 - Henderson, #2 - Marquardt, #3 - Almeida
Wow. Nothing like feeding a can to a can. Never cared for either of these fighters. Kendall should get his wish to fight Jason MacDonald so he can lose two in a row and find out that he doesn’t belong in the UFC. If you can’t make it in their weakest division, you can’t make it. Period.
Why in the hell are they bringing Rivera back? I realize the middleweight division is slim, but why throw more **** into the toilet? I like the idea of Groves/Macdonald much, much better. Why are you so down on Groves Maurauder? I have been pretty impressed with him. Even in his loss to Cote’ he was fighting. Speaking of Cote’, when does he get his shot at Silva?
Is Rivera the new Elvis Sinisec? The guy that the reality show guys fight to look good, well this might backfire. I think Jorge can easily win and send Grove packing. We’ll see. Not really a fight I care to see, but TUF winners always make the TV portion, so……
Rivera is a tough dude and Grove better take Rivera seriously. I think Grove will win, but I am going to be cheering for Rivera because I really like him as a person.
It all depends on which Rivera shows up. Grove has been consistent so we know what to expect from him. Rivera has been very scary at times but that last loss - knocked out with one punch after a very lame kick to the midsection? The Rivera that fought Franklin was a very tough fighter. Beating Dwees? Hell, I can beat him and I’m fat! lol Jorge - this is his last shot at making something of himself. I think he can catch the lanky Grove and KO him…then again maybe he can’t.
Yeah, and I am taking him to win, but I’m not. Just kidding, you just sound a little wishy washy. I think Kendal can take out Jorge. They are giving “The Spider” this fight as a “recovery” match since he got KOed by Cote’. Groves has mad skills, but he is still a work in progress. I like him, but I wish he wouldn’t ware that stupid mask to the ring. I hate it when fighters add accesories (except for “Rampage’s chain, thats cool)
Ok…since I’ve been called out by scotch boy…Jorgee can and will win this fight. I think Grove has trouble against fighters close to his height. His “spider” abilities isnt the same when he cant wrap his long limbs around smaller fighters. He does have skills but Jorge is much more experienced. Besides Jorge has fought in England twice now and is familiar with everything there, that too can be unsettling for a much younger fighter. Jorge wins by KO late in the first
Guys, take it from someone who knows and has sparred with Jorge. He is extremely strong, athletic, and powerful. He has underrated ground skills, and can hit with outstanding power. This is by no means an easy fight for Grove. I personally think Jorge’s biggest mistakes in his losses have been tactical, more than related to his abilities. He tried to take Lee Murray (no slouch, ya know!) to the ground, without factoring that Murray had ground skills, too. He nearly won over Rich Franklin, and then just got caught with a “puncher’s chance” by Leben. Does that sound like an easy fight to you? Especially regarding a guy that pounded on The Crow?