Jerome “Renegade” Rivera staying ready for short notice call
Interview with Jerome Rivera above
Flyweight prospect Jerome “Renegade” Rivera made waves on Dana Whites Contender Series 2020, Week 1, when he defeated Luis Gonzalez via unanimous decision. The win proved to be bittersweet, however, due to winning the fight, but not the UFC contract.
The Scrappy Santa Fe native had a whirlwind of emotions this week after getting the decision nod. However, the bittersweet win came without the contract, unfortunately. To add insult to injury, the boss himself, Dana White expressed his differences with the decision win for the 25-year-old crafty striker. Through it all, Rivera had a radiant smile on his face from the valuable lessons learned from such a highly-touted platform.
“It kinda makes sense he (Dana White) didn’t really think I won the fight”, Rivera says. “And I think there’s a few people out there who think I didn’t win that fight” he follows with. “He was getting the better of some of those grappling exchanges. Which surprised me a lot. I wasn’t expecting him to try and take me down at all.”
However, after watching the fight, Rivera “felt like I was doing damage that whole fight. I was dictating the pace the whole fight. I was out striking him” He recalls. “I think I did enough to win the first and the third” Rivera convincingly claims. Although, realizing he has “some adjustments to make and I’m ready to make them and go back out there and shine in my next performance!”
With no plans to take off any time soon, Rivera says he has minor bumps and bruises to heal but expects to be back in the mix ASAP. “I’m still hungry for more” Rivera says. Already planning to “be ready in case I get that short notice call.” Solidifying his claim for staying in fight shape claiming, “It’s always played to my benefit when I’m just actively in shape. And not taking breaks in between fights.”
At the end of the day, the slick flyweight boldly says “overall it was just a great experience”. An experience he is looking to have again immediately. If there’s one thing Rivera wanted fans to see when he steps in the cage, he boldly claims, “I just wanted everyone to see that heart. I can never promise that I’m gonna go win. But I do want people to see that I go out there and fight my heart out. And I feel like that whole fight I had my foot on the gas pedal. I want people to see that I push the pace, I’m not a boring Fighter. I go out there to scrap every time so I want to be that scrappy kid from Santa Fe.”
Tune in above to hear the full interview. MyMMANews’ Adam Crist catches up with Jerome “Renegade” Rivera after his bittersweet DWCS bout. Jerome opens up about how he felt about the fight against Rodriguez, what’s next for him, when he wants to come back and so much more!
