Marcos Rivera Ram At The Fights interview on ECF Breaking Point

In the Marcos Rivera Ram At The Fights interview, Rivera said he feels confident ahead of his October 3 fight at ECF Breaking Point. He explained why 170 pounds suits him better than the weights at which he took his first three losses, how he plans to handle his opponent’s striking, and what changed when he moved from Texas to New Jersey.

What did Marcos Rivera say about preparing for ECF Breaking Point?

Marcos Rivera said he feels calm and prepared for his ECF Breaking Point fight, though he still had a few pounds to cut. He has worked on both striking and ground positions after his previous bout, and he has a plan for avoiding the powerful strikes he noticed while watching his opponent.

Ground positions and the rules in his previous fight

Rivera said his preparation has covered a little of everything, with particular attention to what happened on the ground in his last fight. He wanted to improve his position, keep moving and create situations in which his opponent would put himself at a disadvantage rather than remain in one spot.

In that previous bout, Rivera said he could strike the body during ground-and-pound but could not strike the head. He believes the fight might have ended sooner if head strikes had been allowed. Rivera thought the rules might permit them in his upcoming bout because both fighters would have more than three fights, but he did not present that as certain. He said he would follow whichever rules applied.

Watching his opponent’s striking

After watching footage of his opponent, Rivera identified power in the opponent’s strikes as the main danger. He said he must avoid taking clean shots or leaving openings that his opponent can use. Rather than describe every part of his plan, he said he had worked out how to keep the contest on his own terms.

That confidence comes from what Rivera has practiced in class as well as from his last fight. He said he feels good about his skills and the work he has done, while acknowledging that the final part of his weight cut was still ahead of him.

How did Marcos Rivera’s move from Texas to New Jersey change his training?

Marcos Rivera moved from Texas to New Jersey in 2024 and began training at a new gym. He credits his Texas team with giving him a strong foundation and said he found a similar family-minded environment in New Jersey, where he sees teammates working to help one another improve.

The team Rivera left in Texas

Rivera did not name either gym, but he spoke about the people at both. In Texas, he valued a team whose members believed in each other. That support, he said, helped establish the foundation he brought with him when he moved.

Settling back into a northeastern winter

The move was a return to a familiar part of the country in one respect: Rivera lived in Pennsylvania as a child before moving to Texas at around 13. Even so, his first winter after moving to New Jersey felt colder than he was used to after years in Texas.

Outside the gym, Rivera did not describe the two places as entirely different. He said that when friends do not have money to go out, staying home and spending time together is much the same in either place. The training environment mattered more to him: at his new gym, he said, he can see people trying to get better and helping their teammates do the same.

What did Marcos Rivera say about Prichard Colón, wrestling and jiu-jitsu?

Marcos Rivera said his father’s side of the family has roots in Puerto Rico, and Prichard Colón was a boxer he remembers watching when he was young. Rivera’s own training began with wrestling in eighth grade. After graduating, he joined a jiu-jitsu gym and later asked to train with its MMA fight team.

Watching Prichard Colón

Rivera recalled seeing Colón’s boxing fights when he was around fifth through seventh grade. At the time, fighting was not yet a sport he followed closely. He also watched football and baseball, and a fight on television was simply another sporting event unless he recognized a name.

Wrestling changed that. Rivera said he began taking fighting more seriously in eighth grade, when he started wrestling, and became interested in who was competing rather than watching a bout only for the action. He described wrestling as a major part of his life and agreed that it gave him a valuable base for MMA.

Joining the fight team through Josh

After graduating, Rivera started going to a jiu-jitsu gym in Texas. He spent his first few months training jiu-jitsu before meeting Josh, who was already on the gym’s fight team. Rivera asked Josh how to join, then approached the coach as Josh suggested. The coach told him to come on Tuesday.

Josh later moved to New York. Rivera said his friend was also on the ECF Breaking Point card, fighting for a heavyweight title. For Rivera, the path from school wrestling to jiu-jitsu and then the fight team developed through training and a direct conversation at the gym.

Why does Marcos Rivera say 170 pounds is his best fighting weight?

Marcos Rivera said 170 pounds is the weight at which he feels most comfortable competing. He reported a 1–3 record: his first loss came at 195 pounds, his next two at 185, and his win came after moving down to 170. He believes he should have started his MMA career there.

Rivera had wrestled at 170 pounds, so it was already a familiar weight. He said he knew before his first MMA fight that it was probably where he belonged, but his priority then was getting into the cage. Rivera attributed his early losses partly to fighting above that weight and said he also needed to prepare better.

Rivera put his reason for taking the first opportunity plainly:

I really just wanted to get in the cage

For his winning fight at 170, Rivera said he was focused, determined and better prepared. He described his approach to ECF Breaking Point in similar terms: he is putting in the work and intends to win. He also said the promoter had suggested that 170 suited both him and his opponent, who was moving down from 185.

How is Marcos Rivera spending fight week before ECF Breaking Point?

Marcos Rivera said fight week is mainly about finishing his weight cut and continuing to work at the gym. Away from training, he spends his free time gaming with friends. For October 3, he said fans can expect a brawl, while his immediate task was to reach the required weight.

The final pounds of the weight cut

Rivera said this cut felt much like his previous one and had not been too difficult, although he was not yet at the weight he wanted. He described putting on a hoodie, getting to work at the gym and sweating off the remaining water weight. He did not describe a separate fight-week ritual.

Gaming with friends

When he is not fighting, Rivera said he often plays games with friends late at night. He recalled a birthday session of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in which the group first decided to take a shot each time a player died. They soon changed that rule to one shot each time they lost a round because deaths could come quickly against strong opponents.

Rivera said ECF Breaking Point should offer a good fight and a brawl. Asked about viewing it, he expected the card to stream on Millions because previous fights had appeared there, but he did not confirm the arrangement.

Who is Marcos Rivera?

Marcos Rivera is an MMA athlete and jiu-jitsu practitioner with a wrestling background. He began wrestling in eighth grade and joined a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym after high school. He has said his ambition is to win world titles.