JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MAY 16: Marlon Vera of Ecuador reacts after losing to Song Yadong (not pictured) of China in their Featherweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 16, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Chito Vera’s plea for a high profile fight is finally being answered with a fight against UFC legend Dominick Cruz
Riding high on the momentum from his victory against Rob Font at UFC Vegas 53, Ecuadorian fighter Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera has been calling out for a fight that propels his career straight to a title shot. Vera had sighted a fight against Petr Yan as the perfect opportunity to catapult his legacy to the next level.
However the pair could not come to an agreement on the date, and Vera had openly proclaimed on Twitter that he won’t wait for anyone. True to his words, the Ecuadorian has moved on from that fight, and landed a golden opportunity to keep his momentum rolling.
According to ESPN Deportes, Vera and Dominick Cruz have agreed to headline a Fight Night card in August verbally. The location of the event has not been finalized yet. The fight is a crucial one for the bantamweight division as the winner could very well be fighting for gold their next time out.
Marlon Vera (19-7-1) is fresh off his first career UFC main event where he put on his career-best performance to beat Rob Font by decision back in April. Prior to that, he knocked out Frankie Edgar cold at UFC 268.
On the other hand, Cruz (24-3) is on a two-fight win streak since he made his comeback, and beat both Pedro Munhoz and Casey Kenney by decision. Before the wins, he had suffered a TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the bantamweight title and a decision loss to Cody Garbrandt to lose his belt.
Marlon Chito Vera showed the world that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the bantamweight division at UFC Vegas 53. If it wasn’t enough that he’s evolved as a fighter, Vera showed up in the best shape of his life and delivered his peak performance against a top opponent like Font.
Although Font had some initial success with his supreme boxing skills, Vera found his range quickly, and immediately got creative with his striking by mixing things up. He hurt Font on several occasions with knees, elbows and kicks.
With this victory, Vera is in conversation amongst the elite of the division. In his very first main event for the company, the Ecuadorian delivered and how. The best in the world took notice, including the likes of Petr Yan.
Reacting to Vera’s performance, Yan said,’ Not a bad performance tonight @chitoveraUFC We may share the octagon one day ’
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