Rob Font plans on making a statement against Marlon Vera.
Font will look to return to the win column when he faces Vera in a bantamweight headliner taking place April 30 at UFC Vegas 53.
Font’s last outing saw him suffer a unanimous decision defeat to featherweight legend Jose Aldo as he was comfortably outpointed over five rounds.
The setback also snapped Font’s four-fight winning streak as he was just entering the bantamweight title mix.
In Vera, Font faces another top bantamweight who also suffered defeat to Aldo. However, “Chito” has since bounced back with wins over Davey Grant and Frankie Edgar.
So how does Font look at Vera as a stylistic matchup?
“He’s a lanky Muay Thai slash BJJ fighter,” Font told Middle Easy in an exclusive interview. “I love the matchup. I’m familiar with his style and I just can’t wait.”
Rob Font: I’m Getting Him Out Of There
Another similarity Font and Vera share is the fact that they both haven’t been finished by strikes throughout their mixed martial arts career.
But that isn’t deterring Font whatsoever. He still plans on knocking Vera out and becoming the first fighter to finish the Ecuadorian.
The reason? To get the shine back from his defeat to Aldo.
“I’m gonna knock him out. I’m getting him out of there,” Font said. “I gotta come back and get a big finish. Get him out of there and get that shine back because obviously the last one was big and I got to make up for that one.”
Although Font preferred to have faced Cory Sandhagen next, he still views Vera as a tough outing.
And if he wins, he remains in the bantamweight mix and is ready to fight anyone put in front of him to reach the top.
“We’ll see. It keeps me in the mix,” Font responded when asked what a win would do for him in terms of the rankings. “Obviously, I was hoping for the #4 guy Cory Sandhagen but the matchup didn’t happen.
“This is another tough one. I’m not here to pick and choose and match my way to the top. I’m just here to fight.”
You can watch the full interview below: