| Dante Rivera | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 12, 1974 Manhattan, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Hamilton, New Jersey |
| Team | Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu |
| Rank | black belt in BJJ |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 21 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
Dante Rivera[1] (born August 12, 1974 in Manhattan, New York) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 7 making it to the quarterfinals where he was defeated by Jesse Taylor.
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Dante was selected to be a part of the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. In order to get into the house and actually compete on the show, Rivera had to fight John Wood, a training partner of Forrest Griffin. Rivera defeated Wood via kimura submission and was then selected to be a part of Griffin's team. In the first round of the tournament, Rivera was matched up against Brandon Sene, defeating him via decision and moving him onto the next round. Rivera's next fight came against teammate Jesse Taylor. Taylor defeated Rivera via unanimous decision and ended Rivera's chances of winning the show.
During the show, Rivera was consistently shown arguing with the young and inexperienced Matt Riddle. Dante, on more the one occasion, stated that he would retire if Riddle defeated him.
Dante fought Matt Riddle at the TUF 7 Finale. Dante was defeated by Riddle via decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). When asked by Joe Rogan if he will retire as he had stated on The Ultimate Fighter, Dante declined and said he would continue to fight. After the loss, he was released from his contract.
He made his post UFC debut against a castoff from The Ultimate Fighter 7, Paul Bradley. Rivera was defeated after being knocked out before the minute mark. He bounced back with a win over Lamont Lister and a win over WEC vet, Justin Haskins.
Rivera fought fellow TUF alumni, Dan Cramer, for a small New Jersey promotion. After three rounds, the fight went to the judges and Rivera was awarded the victory via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27). Many spectators were upset with the decision believing that Rivera had dominated the fight and had convincingly won all three rounds.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 21 matches | 15 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 8 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 4 |
| No contests | 0 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15-6 | Dan Cramer | Decision (split) | Elite MMA: MMA Mayhem | June 19, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Jackson, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 14-6 | Ryan Contaldi | Submission | UCC 2: Strikedown | May 14, 2010 | 2 | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Loss | 13-6 | Herbert Goodman | Decision (unanimous) | Adrenaline MMA: New Breed | February 26, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 13-5 | Justin Haskins | Submission (rear naked choke) | Ring of Combat 27 | November 20, 2009 | 2 | 3:51 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 12-5 | Lamont Lister | Submission (guillotine choke) | Ring of Combat 24 | April 17, 2009 | 1 | 1:25 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 11-5 | Paul Bradley | TKO (punches) | Ring of Combat 22 | November 21, 2008 | 1 | 0:34 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 11-4 | Matt Riddle | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale | June 21, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11-3 | Nissim Levy | TKO | IFL: 2007 Semifinals | August 2, 2007 | 3 | 1:15 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 10-3 | Alex Aquino | Submission (heel hook) | CFFC 5: Two Worlds, One Cage | June 23, 2007 | 2 | 2:41 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 9-3 | Tim Kennedy | Submission (punches) | IFL: Atlanta | February 23, 2007 | 2 | 2:29 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 9-2 | Eric Charles | Submission (arm triangle choke) | CFFC 3: Battleground | January 19, 2007 | 2 | 4:51 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 8-2 | Eric Tavares | TKO (referee stoppage) | CITC 3: Marked Territory | September 30, 2006 | 1 | 4:44 | Lincroft, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 7-2 | Mike Massenzio | Decision (unanimous) | RF 13: Battle at the Beach | August 5, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Wildwood, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 7-1 | Ronald Stalling | Decision (unanimous) | Reality Fighting 11 | February 11, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 6-1 | Jerry Spiegel | Submission (triangle choke) | Reality Fighting 10 | November 19, 2005 | 1 | 1:26 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 5-1 | Josh Pupa | Submission (guillotine choke) | Reality Fighting 9 | August 6, 2005 | 1 | 3:59 | Wildwood, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 4-1 | Lance Everson | Decision (unanimous) | Reality Fighting 8 | April 2, 2005 | 5 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 4-0 | Jose Rodriguez | TKO | Ring of Combat 7 | November 20, 2004 | 1 | 4:37 | New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 3-0 | Jay Handley | Submission (guillotine) | Reality Fighting 7 | October 16, 2004 | 1 | 1:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 2-0 | Lionel Cortes | Decision | Reality Fighting 6 | April 3, 2004 | 5 | 5:00 | Wildwood, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Chris Scanlon | Decision (unanimous) | SF 1 - Bragging Rights | November 9, 2002 | 2 | 5:00 | Bayonne, New Jersey, United States |
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