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Crushing defeat in Abu Dhabi
Vera lost to Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 27-30) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
In the span of the past five months, Vera has to gone from a championship challenger to little more than an afterthought in the title picture in the loaded 135-pound division. Marlon has a terrible habit of taking the first round off. You can get away with that sometimes in a five-round fight, but it's extremely difficult to overcome in a three-round bout. Vera couldn't defend a takedown in the opening frame against Figueiredo. He predictably was able to get back in the bout in Round 2, but he was knocked down in Round 3 and simply didn't generate enough offense to steal the decision. Still just 31 years of age, Vera has been a member of the UFC roster since November 2014. He's a highly-respected veteran, but with that said, there's an overwhelming chance we have already seen the best he has to offer inside the Octagon.
In the span of the past five months, Vera has to gone from a championship challenger to little more than an afterthought in the title picture in the loaded 135-pound division. Marlon has a terrible habit of taking the first round off. You can get away with that sometimes in a five-round fight, but it's extremely difficult to overcome in a three-round bout. Vera couldn't defend a takedown in the opening frame against Figueiredo. He predictably was able to get back in the bout in Round 2, but he was knocked down in Round 3 and simply didn't generate enough offense to steal the decision. Still just 31 years of age, Vera has been a member of the UFC roster since November 2014. He's a highly-respected veteran, but with that said, there's an overwhelming chance we have already seen the best he has to offer inside the Octagon.
Will fight Deiveson Figueiredo
Vera will face Deiveson Figueiredo in a bantamweight bout at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Vera is coming off a loss to Sean O'Malley in his most recent fight, and this won't be any easier for him since he'll face a Figueiredo who has gone 2-0 in the bantamweight division. Vera is a rock-solid bantamweight and owns a 23-9-1 pro record throughout his career.
Vera is coming off a loss to Sean O'Malley in his most recent fight, and this won't be any easier for him since he'll face a Figueiredo who has gone 2-0 in the bantamweight division. Vera is a rock-solid bantamweight and owns a 23-9-1 pro record throughout his career.
Not competitive in title fight
Vera came up short in his quest for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Sean O'Malley via unanimous decision (45-50, 45-50, 44-50) at UFC 299 in Miami.
ANALYSIS
The way this fight was contested, Vera had literally zero shot of winning. In fact, it's nothing short of a miracle that Chito managed to see the final bell. Vera was predictably outclassed in all the striking exchanges between the two, particularly at distance. In the rare instance in which Marlon would land a big shot, O'Malley would respond with three or four of his own. Vera is very tough with no significant weaknesses in his game, but he's also 31 years of age with north of 30 professional fights under his belt. Sure, he technically knocked O'Malley out in the first fight between the two back in August 2020, but that was because Sean suffered a foot injury. That would not have been the end result had O'Malley made it through that bout healthy. Vera is a rock-solid bantamweight, but nothing in his past profile, or his performance tonight, suggests he's on the same level as the top guys in a loaded 135-pound division.
The way this fight was contested, Vera had literally zero shot of winning. In fact, it's nothing short of a miracle that Chito managed to see the final bell. Vera was predictably outclassed in all the striking exchanges between the two, particularly at distance. In the rare instance in which Marlon would land a big shot, O'Malley would respond with three or four of his own. Vera is very tough with no significant weaknesses in his game, but he's also 31 years of age with north of 30 professional fights under his belt. Sure, he technically knocked O'Malley out in the first fight between the two back in August 2020, but that was because Sean suffered a foot injury. That would not have been the end result had O'Malley made it through that bout healthy. Vera is a rock-solid bantamweight, but nothing in his past profile, or his performance tonight, suggests he's on the same level as the top guys in a loaded 135-pound division.
Draws O'Malley in title fight
Vera is scheduled to face Sean O'Malley for the UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 299 in Miami on March 9, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Back in 2020, Vera defeated O'Malley, a then-undefeated prospect who has gone on to become one of the most profitable fighters in today's UFC. Vera has held well in his own right, going 5-2 with knockout wins over former title holders Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz. Now that O'Malley is champion, a high-stakes rematch between these two made much sense for the UFC.
Back in 2020, Vera defeated O'Malley, a then-undefeated prospect who has gone on to become one of the most profitable fighters in today's UFC. Vera has held well in his own right, going 5-2 with knockout wins over former title holders Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz. Now that O'Malley is champion, a high-stakes rematch between these two made much sense for the UFC.
Lands harder shots in victory
Vera defeated Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC 292 on Saturday in Boston.
ANALYSIS
"Chito" was celebrating what he considered to be a statement win afterwards, but the bout was much closer than those 30-27 scorecards, as just five significant strikes separated the two fighters in the opening frames before Vera used his jab to take control in the final round. While an argument could be made that "Young Punisher" did enough work early to deserve the decision, Vera was the one landing the more consistent damage throughout the fight. The bantamweight division was turned on its head later in the night due to Sean 'O' Malley defeating Aljamain Sterling for the title. This puts Vera in a unique position as the only man to ever beat (and finish) "Suga" in professional MMA.
"Chito" was celebrating what he considered to be a statement win afterwards, but the bout was much closer than those 30-27 scorecards, as just five significant strikes separated the two fighters in the opening frames before Vera used his jab to take control in the final round. While an argument could be made that "Young Punisher" did enough work early to deserve the decision, Vera was the one landing the more consistent damage throughout the fight. The bantamweight division was turned on its head later in the night due to Sean 'O' Malley defeating Aljamain Sterling for the title. This puts Vera in a unique position as the only man to ever beat (and finish) "Suga" in professional MMA.