John Lineker steps in to face Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219

Jimmie Rivera will go from a former champion to one of the hardest hitters in the division.
With Dominick Cruz out due to injury, John Lineker has stepped in to face Rivera at UFC 219 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed with sources Tuesday. Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal had the news after an initial report by Helwani earlier in the day. Cruz withdrew earlier this month because of a broken arm.Lineker (30-8) just fought at UFC Sao Paulo last month, d