Jose Alberto Quiñonez returns to the octagon on August 5 at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico, where he will face Chilean Diego Rivas in a 135-pound contest.
'Teco' and his opponent were participants in the first season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter Latin America and there is no bad blood between them: "I have a good relationship with him, we talked at the UFC athlete retreat in Las Vegas, we didn't know about the fight yet. I didn't want to fight against Latinos anymore, because when I beat 'Chimmy' Morales they cut him and I don't want that, because they are all like brothers to me, but I'm willing to fight anyone. Diego is a good opponent and I hope he comes in good shape, because I am well prepared and I really want to fight."
Quiñonez will share the card with his teammates from Entram Gym in Tijuana, Martín Bravo and Brandon Moreno, who plan to travel to Mexico City close to the date of the event to prepare: "The strategy is to come together to train and acclimatize, because we can't neglect the altitude of Mexico City because if we don't dedicate the necessary time to adapt, we can lose. We seek to have a good training camp because we are at a level where we can't make mistakes, neglect the diet or the cardio, which is very important for the fights," he said.
After participating in the reality show, 'Teco' arrived at Entram Gym, where he has been training since 2014: "In the gym, we have a good team attitude and we work hard, that's the mentality that coach Raul Arvizu instills in us, we want to continue growing as athletes and as a team. My brother Cristian and I have trained together since we were kids, practicing and staying healthy is something that has united us. He and Coach Arvizu always accompany me, I hope they are with me in my corner on fight day."
After suffering a knee injury, which kept him away from the octagon for almost a year, Quiñonez used the time to focus on progressing: "I think I am a new fighter because I have the mentality to keep improving, in this sport, you never stop learning and that is seen in the new generations. It is the second time I am going to fight in Mexico City and I am going to give everything, I come to give a good show and I hope to make the Arena Ciudad de Mexico vibrate, this time I am fighting against another Latino, who is also tough and difficult to break, I hope to have a good fight, I am sure he will prepare well because I know his mentality. We both have not fought for a while and I come with everything," said the fighter.
Ticket sales for UFC Mexico start on June 9 and more fights will be announced in the coming days.
UFC Fight Night
Arena Ciudad de Mexico
August 5
Confirmed fights:
- Brandon Moreno vs. Sergio Pettis (Main Event, 5 rounds)
- Jose Alberto Quiñonez vs. Diego Rivas
- Hector Sandoval vs. Dustin Ortiz
- Martin Bravo vs. Chris Gruetzemacher
- Rashad Evans vs. Sam Alvey
- Alvaro Herrera vs. Jordan Rinaldi