Marlon Verla showed why he’s a future bantamweight title contender at UFC Vegas 53 tonight by defeating Rob Font in a contender for fight of the year.
The unanimous decision victory was Vera’s third in succession, with the 29-year-old having previously defeated Davey Grant and Frankie Edgar last year. Font, meanwhile, is now on a two-fight losing streak, having lost a decision to José Aldo in December.
The fast-paced main event bout saw both fighters exchange a high volume of strikes, with Font initially gaining the advantage. However, in round two, Vera sent Font sprawling to the canvas and almost finished him with ground and pound.
Font recovered in round three to take the advantage on the feet, but a huge knee from Vera knocked Font down and he was almost put away yet again. Font was sent to the canvas for a third time in round four thanks to a massive head kick from Vera. But the American made an admirable recovery in the final round, matching Vera on the feet before the Ecuadorian landed yet another head kick late on that seriously wobbled Font.
With this win over the #5-ranked bantamweight Font, we can expect the #8 ranked Vera to enter the division’s top five in the coming days.
You can catch all the highlights of the main event below.
This was Marlon “Chito” Vera’s third win in a row.
Now, let’s see how fighters reacted to Vera’s victory over Font at UFC Vegas 53.
UFC Vegas 53: Font vs. Vera Results & Highlights
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