UFC Fight Night 31 results, photos: Francisco Rivera swarms, stops George Roop

FORT CAMPBELL – Francisco Rivera’s heavy hands were once again on display in his fourth UFC appearance.

Veteran George Roop did his best to contain Rivera’s violent outbursts, but ultimately succumbed to a swarm of punches in the second round.

The bantamweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 31 event at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on MMAjunkie.com and ahead of a main card on FOX Sports 1.

The tall and lanky Roop got a taste of Rivera’s power early in the first frame and immediately opted to take the fight to the mat, where he held Rivera in a sitting position for much of the round before referee Mario Yamasaki separated the two.

Back on the feet, Rivera continued to fling hooks with all his might as Roop attempted to keep him at bay with kicks and one well-placed knee up the middle.

Rivera continued hunting for a big finish in the second round, but was slowed by an accidental groin shot. After getting a break, he resumed his chase and caught a shooting Roop with a left hook.

All at once, Roop was in a world of trouble as Rivera swarmed with punches and battered him against the fence. As Roop tried to run free of his opponent, he was caught with a right hand that buckled him. Referee Yamasaki moved to intervene at the 2:20 mark of the second frame.

“Everyone knows me because of my heavy hands,” Rivera said. “I knew he was going to try and get me down, and I just had to weather that initial storm. I saw him go limp after a couple punches in that round and knew I had to finish the fight. Thank you to all the troops.”

Rivera (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) hasn’t lost in the UFC since submitting to Reuben Duran in his debut (though a first-round KO of Roland Delorme was nixed when he tested positive for a banned substance). Roop (14-10-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) suffers his first loss as a bantamweight following back-to-back wins over Duran and ex-WEC champ Brian Bowles.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 31 results include:

• Francisco Rivera def. George Roop via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:20
• Dennis Bermudez def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Amanda Nunes def. Germaine De Randamie via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:56
• Lorenz Larkin def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Yancy Medeiros def. Yves Edwards via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47
• Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Derek Brunson def. Brian Houston via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:48

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 31, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Dann Stupp contributed to this report on-site at Fort Campbell.