Jerome Rivera plans to take Francisco Figueiredo’s “soul” and put the champ on notice

Jerome Rivera knows he can send a direct message to Deiveson Figueiredo on Wednesday.

At UFC Fight Island 8, Rivera is set to welcome Deiveson Figueiredo’s brother in Francisco to the Octagon. It is a very intriguing matchup and when Rivera got the fight offer, it was an immediate yes.

“What better way to send the champ a message than fighting his brother and beating him up,” Rivera said to BJPENN.com. “Whenever I see teammates lose, it puts a bad taste in my mouth and I want to fight that guy so this will stir the pot up a little bit. The other thing that makes me excited is, he is hard to find tape on. I’m just preparing to fight Deiveson Figueiredo.”

Although this is a big fight for Rivera, he is worried about whether or not Figueiredo will make flyweight. He has been fighting at bantamweight and even featherweight, but if the Brazilian misses weight, Rivera says he will still accept the bout.

“It will be nice if I can get the extra 20 percent. I was thinking about it, he’s 31-years-old and as far as I can tell he’s never fought at flyweight,” Rivera explained. “He hasn’t also been very active so it is a questionable move to make the move to flyweight. He will have worries about cardio and will be focusing on the cut more than the fight.”

Ultimately, Jerome Rivera is confident he will get his first UFC win and do so by stoppage. He knows if he can get out of the first round, it will be his fight to lose and eventually expects to take Figueiredo’s soul.

“It seems like he has some power and knockouts but I have a ton of confidence I can beat this guy wherever,” Rivera concluded. “I want to get back to my roots and show of my wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I’m going to finish him. I don’t know if it will be knockout or submission, but I will finish this dude and take his soul.”

Do you think Jerome Rivera will beat Francisco Figueiredo?