While Demetrious Johnson’s string of dominance continued at UFC 191, it was John Lineker and Francisco Rivera who stole the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, as each pocketed $50,000 for “Fight of the Night” honors.
The short-lived slugfest, which marked Lineker’s 135-pound debut, was thrilling while it lasted. The two bantamweights didn’t wait long to start trading haymakers, but Lineker landed the first significant blow, dropping “Cisco” with a pair of hooks near the fence. Rivera somehow recovered and the action picked up where it left off until Lineker rocked his foe again and secured the fight-ending guillotine choke at the 2:08 mark of round one after his foe shot for a desperation takedown.