Flyweight Jerome Rivera is back home in Santa Fe, N.M., resting his arm and waiting for another test to give him some good news.

Rivera (7-2) was a highlight reel for all the wrong reasons this past Friday when he suffered a broken radial bone and a dislocated elbow just 40 seconds into an AXS-TV broadcast fight with Brandon Royval (7-3) at LFA 39.

An MRI will determine whether Rivera suffered ligament damage, requiring a longer recovery period. Doctors originally expected he would be out for four to six weeks.

An electrician’s apprentice, Rivera vows to work with one arm until his other one heals. He also plans to stay in the gym.

Most immediate in his mind is the pain still radiating from his right arm and fingers. The pain from his loss is a close second, and it motivates a quick comeback.

“I worked my ass off for this camp,” he told MMAjunkie.

A champion in the Santa Fe MMA scene, Rivera said the most notable thing about his camp was that it was almost free of incident. A broken finger in jiu-jitsu practice was his biggest gripe.

Going into the fight against Royval, he hoped to send a message to UFC matchmakers and flyweights. The LFA promotion is well known for sending fighters to the industry leader, and he estimated his audience might include talent scouts.

Rivera remembers just about everything about the fight – it was only 40 seconds, after all. He remembers two big pops – one when his arm hit the cage, and the other when the cageside doctor popped his elbow back into place.

Initially, Rivera wasn’t sure what happened. But when he tried to hit Royval with his right arm, there was an alarming revelation.

“I’m standing there, and a couple doctors come into the cage, and they’re coming toward me,” he said of the immediate aftermath. “I’m like, ‘Get away from me – don’t touch me.’”

As it turned out, popping the arm back did make him feel better. But the pain was unlike anything he’d felt before.

“I remember trying to move my fingers, and it was just like, mangled,” he said. “It looked like I had a monster hand on.”

Lucky for him, an area hospital was just a short walk from the Dodson Arena that hosted the event in in Vail, Colo. He walked to the emergency room for treatment.

Then he walked to his hotel, which he said was another 20 steps. Geography was on his side.

Friends and family had gathered at several local bars to watch him fight and had been sending him Snapchat messages. That excitement immediately turned to concern when it became clear when it happened. Then his friends gave him some space.

Thinking back, watching his opponent celebrate his serious injury was one of the more unpleasant experiences of the fight.

“I remember when I was walking out with the doctors, he was doing backflips off the bleachers,” Rivera said. “Myself personally, I wouldn’t be celebrating after I beat somebody like that.”

Despite the impression, Rivera holds no grudge against his opponent. He understands that in the moment, things got out of hand.

“If we run it back, I’ll get my vengeance,” he said. “If we don’t, I’ll take it out on the next guy.”

And even though his fight went about the exact opposite way he hoped, Rivera is grateful he made the walk to the cage and got to train for a fight.

If nothing else, the nerves that accompany the walk to the cage weren’t as present. When you’re trying to show your true talent, that’s its own gift.

“I appreciate the experience,” he said. “I feel more comfortable every time I go out there.”

For complete coverage of LFA 39, check out the MMA Events section of the site.