Vera took home the impressive win, 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 35 event.
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Competing in a UFC main event for the first time, Marlon "Chito" Vera (21-7-1 MMA, 13-6 UFC) turned in absolutely scintillating performance, outpointing and nearly finishing fellow bantamweight contender Rob Font (19-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) over the course of five rounds
The bout served as the main event of Saturday's UFC on ESPN 35 event at the UFC Apex.
Font flashed out his quick jab at the start of the fight, while Vera responded in kind but also occasionally chopped at the legs or ripped a kick to the body. As the round wore on, it was Font who was generally the one walking forward, and he was striking with greater volume, as well. Vera's best moments came through his powerful kicks, but Font's boxing skills were clearly on display.
Font caught a kick early in the second and pushed his opponent to the cage but couldn't get him off-balance, which seemed to briefly bolster Vera's confidence. Font quickly settled back into a rhythm, though, and straight punches and uppercuts began to find a home. In the closing seconds of the frame, however, a Vera left hook sent his opponent to the canvas, and he finished the round landing big shots from a dominant position.
With Vera pressing forward aggressively in the third, Font turned to a takedown, though he couldn't keep the action on the floor. The two then took turns trading shots on the feet, with each having moments of success. Font's left eye was swollen badly, but he continued to land with a crisp jab and well-placed shots to the body. Once again though, the final seconds of the round proved key, with Vera landing a huge knee that sent Font again crashing to the canvas. Vera followed, landing a few well-placed elbows and forearms before the bell.
Courtesy of UFC
Vera was clearly the fresher man entering the fourth, but Font was still walking forward and firing off pinpoint punches. Font again teased a takedown but was unable to convert, and the two continued a high-paced striking affair. With blood streaming down Font's face, Vera delivered a slick sidekick to the chin that sent him crashing down again. Rather than jumping on top, Vera elected to stand over his opponent and kick the legs a bit before referee Jason Herzog called for a restart.
Back on the feet, Vera begin to fire off a few acrobatic spinning kicks, though Font was able to avoid any real damage before the bell.
Clearly down on the cards, Font was aggressive to open the final round. His face was a bruised and battered mess, Font continued to walk forward and rifle off punches. Vera still found moments to counter, and his kicks remained a potent weapon when he found space to throw. As the round wore on, Font's pace did finally start to slow a bit, and Vera was able to find a few more openings, showboating a bit along the way.
Vera was hunting for the finish until the very end, again landing with a side kick to the face and then ripping off a few leaping knees as Font retreated. In the end, Font survived until the final bell, but it was Vera who took home a very impressive win, 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46.
As he left the cage, Vera – who entered the contest ranked No. 8 in the UFC's bantamweight division – delivered a message to MMA Underground: "I will be champion one day."
Complete UFC on ESPN 35 results include:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+)
- Marlon Vera def. Rob Font via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
- Andrei Arlovski def. Jake Collier via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joanderson Brito def. Andre Fili via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:41
- Grant Dawson def. Jared Gordon via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:11
- Darren Elkins def. Tristan Connelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Krzysztof Jotko def. Gerald Meerschaert via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, ESPN)
- Alexandr Romanov def. Chase Sherman via submission (Americana) – Round 1, 2:11
- Francisco Figueiredo def. Daniel Da Silva via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:18
- Gabe Green def. Yohan Lainesse via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:02
- Natan Levy def. Mike Breeden via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Shanna Young def. Gina Mazany TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:11
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