Dante Rivera

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Dante Rivera
Born (1974-08-12) August 12, 1974 (age 50)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
DivisionLight Heavyweight (2007)
Middleweight (2002–2010)
Welterweight (2013–2014)
Fighting out ofHamilton, New Jersey
TeamRicardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu
Rank4th degree black belt in BJJ under Ricardo Almeida[1]
Years active2002–2014
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins16
By knockout3
By submission8
By decision5
Losses7
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Dante Rivera (born August 12, 1974) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 7 making it to the quarterfinals where he was defeated by Jesse Taylor.

Rivera is the owner of Dante Rivera Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Freehold Township, New Jersey.

Mixed martial arts career

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The Ultimate Fighter

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Dante was selected to be a part of the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. In order to get into the house and actually compete on the show, Rivera had to fight John Wood, a training partner of Forrest Griffin. Rivera defeated Wood via kimura submission and was then selected to be a part of Griffin's team. In the first round of the tournament, Rivera was matched up against Brandon Sene, defeating him via decision and moving him onto the next round. Rivera's next fight came against teammate Jesse Taylor. Taylor defeated Rivera via unanimous decision and ended Rivera's chances of winning the show.

During the show, Rivera was consistently shown arguing with the young and inexperienced Matt Riddle. Dante, on more the one occasion, stated that he would retire if Riddle defeated him.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Dante fought Matt Riddle at the TUF 7 Finale. Dante was defeated by Riddle via decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). When asked by Joe Rogan if he will retire as he had stated on The Ultimate Fighter, Dante declined and said he would continue to fight. After the loss, he was released from his contract.

Post UFC

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He made his post UFC debut against a castoff from The Ultimate Fighter 7, Paul Bradley. Rivera was defeated after being knocked out before the minute mark. He bounced back with a win over Lamont Lister and a win over WEC vet, Justin Haskins.

Rivera fought fellow TUF alumni, Dan Cramer, for a small New Jersey promotion. After three rounds, the fight went to the judges and Rivera was awarded the victory via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27). Many spectators were upset with the decision believing that Rivera had dominated the fight and had convincingly won all three rounds. According to his Twitter he frequently works to increase his cardio by innovating the art of dynamic rollerblading.

Bellator MMA

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Rivera made his promotional debut against former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good on April 4, 2013 at Bellator 95. Good defeated Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).[2]

Rivera was expected to face promotional newcomer Nah-Shon Burrell on November 15, 2013 at Bellator 108. However, Rivera was removed from the card due to undisclosed reasons and Burrell was rescheduled to face Jesus Martinez.[3] Dante Rivera won his last Bellator fight win a dominant performance against tough fighter Gemiyale Adkins.

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
23 matches 16 wins 7 losses
By knockout 3 1
By submission 8 1
By decision 5 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–7 Gemiyale Adkins Decision (unanimous) Bellator 118 May 2, 2014 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Catchweight (172 lbs) bout; Adkins missed weight.
Loss 15–7 Lyman Good Decision (unanimous) Bellator 95 April 4, 2013 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Welterweight debut.
Win 15–6 Dan Cramer Decision (split) Elite MMA: MMA Mayhem June 19, 2010 3 5:00 Jackson, New Jersey, United States
Win 14–6 Ryan Contaldi Submission UCC 2: Strikedown May 14, 2010 2 3:20 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 13–6 Herbert Goodman Decision (unanimous) Adrenaline MMA: New Breed February 26, 2010 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States For the vacant Adrenaline MMA Middleweight Championship.
Win 13–5 Justin Haskins Submission (rear naked choke) Ring of Combat 27 November 20, 2009 2 3:51 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 12–5 Lamont Lister Submission (guillotine choke) Ring of Combat 24 April 17, 2009 1 1:25 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 11–5 Paul Bradley TKO (punches) Ring of Combat 22 November 21, 2008 1 0:34 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States For the vacant Ring of Combat Middleweight Championship.
Loss 11–4 Matt Riddle Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale June 21, 2008 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–3 Nissim Levy TKO IFL: 2007 Semifinals August 2, 2007 3 1:15 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Win 10–3 Alex Aquino Submission (heel hook) Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5 June 23, 2007 2 2:41 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 9–3 Tim Kennedy Submission (punches) IFL: Atlanta February 23, 2007 2 2:29 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win 9–2 Eric Charles Submission (arm triangle choke) Cage Fury Fighting Championships 3 January 19, 2007 2 4:51 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Won the CFFC Middleweight Championship.
Win 8–2 Eric Tavares TKO (referee stoppage) CITC 3: Marked Territory September 30, 2006 1 4:44 Lincroft, New Jersey, United States
Loss 7–2 Mike Massenzio Decision (unanimous) RF 13: Battle at the Beach August 5, 2006 3 5:00 Wildwood, New Jersey, United States
Win 7–1 Ronald Stallings Decision (unanimous) Reality Fighting 11 February 11, 2006 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Defended the Reality Fighting Middleweight Championship.
Win 6–1 Jerry Spiegel Submission (triangle choke) Reality Fighting 10 November 19, 2005 1 1:26 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Won the vacant Reality Fighting Middleweight Championship.
Win 5–1 Josh Pupa Submission (guillotine choke) Reality Fighting 9 August 6, 2005 1 3:59 Wildwood, New Jersey, United States
Loss 4–1 Lance Everson Decision (unanimous) Reality Fighting 8 April 2, 2005 5 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States For the Reality Fighting Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Jose Rodriguez TKO Ring of Combat 7 November 20, 2004 1 4:37 New Jersey, United States Won the vacant Ring of Combat Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 3–0 Jay Handley Submission (guillotine) Reality Fighting 7 October 16, 2004 1 1:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Catchweight (190 lbs) bout.
Win 2–0 Lionel Cortes Decision Reality Fighting 6 April 3, 2004 5 5:00 Wildwood, New Jersey, United States Middleweight debut.
Win 1–0 Chris Scanlon Decision (unanimous) SF 1 - Bragging Rights November 9, 2002 2 5:00 Bayonne, New Jersey, United States

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jones, Phil (19 July 2023). "The Ultimate Fighter Veteran Dante Rivera Promoted To 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  2. ^ Brian Knapp (2013-04-04). "Pat Curran chokes Shahbulat Shamhalaev unconscious, keeps featherweight crown at Bellator 95". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. ^ "Jesus Martinez fills in against Nah-Shon Burrell at Bellator 108". NJMMAnews.com. 2013-11-05. Archived from the original on 2013-11-15. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
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