NJ’s Jimmie Rivera looking to extend his win streak at UFC 219 against Dominick Cruz

There will be fireworks the day before New Years Eve, as Dominick Cruz will face New Jersey’s Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219. The UFC made the fight between the two bantamweight fighters official last night. UFC 219 takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cruz (22-2) is looking to make a huge comeback after losing the Bantamweight Title to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. Before that loss, Cruz had a 13-fight win streak going. The often-injured fighter residing in California is looking to wash the doubt away from any fans. He has a big mountain to climb in the form of Jimmie Rivera.

While all attention may be on Cruz, Rivera ( 21-1) has an interesting story of his own. After losing his second professional fight against James McLean in 2008, Rivera has won 20 fights in a row. He is 5-0 in the UFC. Ranked No.3 according to UFC.com in the bantamweight division, a win could propel Jimmie Rivera straight to the top of the line. That’s especially true when Cruz is number one.

It will be interesting to see how the fight goes considering the way Rivera has won his last bouts. His first UFC fight ended in a knockout, while the remaining four ended via unanimous decision. Overall, he has won four fights via knockout, two by submission and 15 via UD. Cruz on the other hand has won via KO seven times, once via submission and has had 14 unanimous decision victories. This will be a big test for both fighters.

Will New Jersey come out on top or will Cruz get a bounce-back win? Also announced for the card will be strawweight contenders Cynthia Calvillo and Carla Esparza facing off. UFC 219 will start with prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.