Amid the whirlwind of stories out about Jimmie Rivera’s replacement for Bryan Caraway that was going to happen, then didn’t, he took time to sit down with the Top Turtle Podcast team and chat. But he didn’t limit himself to only talking about the fight that was, wasn’t, was again and then wasn’t again. He talked all things about his career including a look at the freshly retired Urijah Faber.
When approached on the subject, Rivera stated that he had more than a few detractors from what he did to Faber.
“People [say] ‘oh you never retired Faber,” to which Rivera says he find comical.
“I beat Faber 30-27 – all three judges,” Rivera stated also explaining that the only reason Faber ever fought again after that was because “he wanted to end on a win”.
Looking back at the fight, Rivera was bullish on his skills, stating “Was [Faber] able to take me down? Was he able to knock me down? No, the worst thing I got out of the fight was a groin shot and an eye poke”.
And with that assessment, Rivera believes that this feeling was enough to put Faber’s career away.
“I’m pretty sure I retired him. He retired for a reason”.
Of course, he asserts that his opinion isn’t the only one. “At the end of the day people can say what they want”. However, he seems pretty confident in his reasoning.
To hear more of the interview with Jimmie Rivera and his takes on Cruz, Caraway and more, listen to the interview below. His interview starts at the 42:00 mark, but you could (and should) listen to the whole thing.
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