Weight class: Flyweight
Record: 7-1
Age: 20
Height: 5’4”
Born in: Peru
Training out of: MFC Guerreros Piuranos
Combined opponents’ record (at the time they fought): 24-13-2
Key wins: Luis Camargo, Ivan Cuayla (amateur fights)
Still just 20 years old, Jhon Rivera will try to extend his winning run to seven fights and claim the interim Fusion FC flyweight title on Wednesday when he meets Martin Blanco at FFC 99 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Peruvian began his amateur career in 2019 and went 7-0 before suffering back-to-back losses in 2022. He rebounded that same year with three-straight wins and closed out 2022 with what ended up being his final loss as an amateur fighter.
Rivera capped off his time as an amateur with a sixth-straight victory in October 2023 before making his professional debut the following month at FFC 68, where he defeated Riran Zenidim via unanimous decision. The 20-year-old dropped a decision in his sophomore outing last January but followed that up by securing a first-round submission in his first Reto de Campeones appearance since his amateur days, and the Peruvian is now riding the momentum of six-straight wins after already getting his hand raised five times this year.
“Charanguerito” began his amateur career with three-straight finishes before going to the judges’ scorecards often during the rest of his amateur days and in three out of his first four pro bouts, but he’s really started to showcase his finishing skills on his current win streak.
While he’s not the most polished or defensively-sound striker in the world, Rivera does really sit down on his punches and doesn’t mind getting hit. He’ll rely heavily on 1-2 combinations from distance and occasionally mix in kicks. If he can get an opponent covered up along the fence the Peruvian will start to tee off with huge hooks to both the head and body, which is how he scored a standing TKO against Yago Quaresma in June.
The 20-year-old doesn’t move his head much and is happy to eat some big shots while trying to close the distance on an opponent. He’s shown off a pretty solid chin thus far, which has allowed him to absorb punishment as he looks for opportunities to shoot for takedowns when he isn’t getting the better of things on the feet.
Rivera is relentless with his takedowns. He’ll switch between single and double leg attempts against the cage when he can get on an opponent’s hips, or he’ll try to drag them to the mat if he’s able to get a rear body lock. Very active with his ground and pound, Rivera can land short elbows and punches from guard but ideally likes to either posture up or simply stand over a downed opponent to really get some power on his strikes, which was showcased in his last fight when he finished Edgardo Pernas with a body shot on the ground.
The Peruvian does a good job of immediately applying top pressure when his opposition tries creating enough space to stand up. If an opponent rolls to their knees, Rivera likes to tee off with punches and try to jump right on their back to start looking for a rear naked choke. The 20-year-old is also a threat to snatch submissions when working on his back, utilizing both armbars and leg attacks to try and either force a tap or open the chance for him to return to a dominant position.
Rivera is still pretty raw, and his striking defense is the main area where I’d like to see improvement going forward. That being said, he’s still only 20 and has an entertaining style, especially given that he’s started to find more finishes as of late. Winning the interim FFC flyweight belt would be a great way to cap off an extremely active year and set him up for a big 2026.