Jimmie Rivera out of UFC 247, search underway for replacement to face Marlon Vera

The upcoming UFC 247 card in Houston has taken a hit after Jimmie Rivera was forced out of his upcoming fight against Marlon Vera due to injury.

Multiple sources confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Thursday following an initial report from MMAJunkie. UFC officials have not announced the change to the card yet.

It’s unknown at this time the severity of the injury that prevented Rivera from competing, but with the card coming up on Feb. 8, it appears he would not have been recovered in time.

With Rivera out, “Chito” is now playing the waiting game as sources confirmed the UFC is searching for a replacement opponent to face him on the card in Houston.

Vera is currently riding a five-fight win streak with three knockouts and two submission victories along the way.

The former Ultimate Fighter competitor had been calling for a fight against Rivera for some time, but now it looks like he’ll have to wait even longer before that potential matchup comes together.

UFC 247 will be headlined by a pair of championship fights as Jon Jones puts his light heavyweight belt up for grabs against Dominick Reyes while Valentina Shevchenko faces Katlyn Chookagian in a flyweight title fight.