Hours into a UFC on FOX 18 card which wasn't exactly living up to expectations, the crowd at Newark's Prudential Center was looking for something to cheer.
Up stepped a local product, New Jerey's own Jimmie Rivera. The 26-year old bantamweight won his 18th consecutive fight on Saturday night, as he never really let Iuri Alcantara get untracked in a unanimous decision victory.
Rivera got 29-28 scores across the board as he improved to 3-0 in the UFC.
Rivera fought a smart game plan against the 35-year-old Brazilian, as he darted in and out and landed sharp combos, while never giving the crafty grappler a chance to unleash his submission game.
Each of the first two rounds, in which Rivera outboxed Alcantara, were punctuated by late Rivera takedowns.
In the third, Alcantara finally showed some life, dropping Rivera with a straight left and then going for a Kimura. But while he got the nod in the round, it wasn't enough to get the decision.
Alcantara (33-7, 1 NC) lost for the second time in his past three fights.