Rivalries: Marlon Vera

Marlon Vera has put himself in position to make real headway in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division.

The Colin Oyama protégé will carry some momentum into his first headlining assignment with the organization, as he collides with Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 35 main event this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vera enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories, having compiled a 12-6 record through 18 appearances inside the Octagon. He last competed at UFC 268, where he cut down former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar with a front kick to the face in the third round of their Nov. 6 pairing.

As Vera puts the final touches on his latest training camp, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Marco Beltran

Takedowns, ground-and-pound and stubborn submission defense carried the Invictus MMA rep to a unanimous decision over Vera in a UFC 180 prelim on Nov. 15, 2014 in Mexico City. All three-cageside judges scored it 29-28. Beltran did his best work from top position, where he battered his counterpart with elbows and established his superiority before a crowd of 21,000 at Mexico City Arena. He dodged a pair of near finishes in the second round, as he freed himself from two rear-naked chokes and later achieved full mount. Vera made his move in the third, where he drove his Mexican opponent into the ground, dropped elbows and framed a late brabo choke. However, the finish he needed did not present itself, leaving his fate was left in the hands of the judiciary.

Brad Pickett

Vera took out the retiring American Top Team export with a head kick and follow-up hammerfists in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 107 bantamweight showcase on March 18, 2017 at the O2 Arena in London. “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist brought it to a close 3:50 into Round 3. Pickett was seemingly headed for a unanimous decision at the time of the stoppage. “One Punch” showed off the well-rounded skills that made him so successful during a 12-year career, as he integrated powerful takedowns and positional control on the ground with mean left hooks on the feet. Vera was undeterred. The Team Oyama representative met Pickett with stepping knees and punching volleys while searching for openings. Vera found what he was looking for in the third round, where he floored the former Cage Rage champion with a head kick and drew the curtain with standing-to-ground hammerfists.

John Lineker

The onetime Jungle Fight titleholder laid claim to a unanimous decision over Vera in a three-round UFC Fight Night 119 bantamweight feature on Oct. 28, 2017 at Geraldo Jose de Almeida Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. All three cageside judges scored it for Lineker: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. Vera was game for the duration but could not match his brick-fisted adversary’s ferocity. Lineker worked behind his patented body-head combinations and mixed in a few spinning back kicks to the body to keep the Team Oyama rep off-balance. “Hands of Stone” even spent some time in top position in the second round, where he unleashed elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Vera hit the accelerator in Round 3, firing off stinging jabs and kicks to the head, legs and body. Ultimately, his efforts fell short.

Sean O’Malley

Vera disposed of the previously unbeaten MMA Lab prospect with punches and elbows in the first round of their UFC 252 co-main event on Aug. 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The end came 4:40 into Round 1. O’Malley leaned on his length and kept “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist at bay with powerful kicks to the body and legs during their initial exchanges. However, he took an awkward step forward midway through the first round, rolled his right ankle and retreated in visible distress. He was never the same. An off-balance O’Malley lost his footing later in the round, collapsed to his back and absorbed a volley of punches and elbows that necessitated the stoppage.

Davey Grant

Vengeance was indeed sweet for Vera when he avenged a prior defeat to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18 finalist by capturing a unanimous decision in their UFC on ESPN 25 rematch on June 19, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 29-27, 29-28 and 30-26. Vera outstruck the Englishman by a 105-83 margin, struck for two takedowns and piled up more than five minutes of control time. He opened a cut on Grant’s forehead with a close-range elbow strike in the second round and made further progress in the third, where he advanced to the Straight Blast Gym product’s back and threatened the neck on multiple occasions. Grant was in real peril as the fight concluded, with “Chito” closing on in a rear-naked choke when the horn sounded.