Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera‘s title dreams are very much alive after falling short against Sean O’Malley.
Vera: “I Still Want To Become A World Champ”
The UFC Bantamweight contender entered his first-ever title fight in the main event of UFC 299 back in March, where he rematched reigning champ O’Malley. Vera’s the only fighter to defeat the 18-1 O’Malley, TKO’ing him in 2020 but the second fight between the rivals couldn’t be more different with O’Malley putting on a masterclass performance over five rounds to win by unanimous decision.
Vera, 31, will look to rebound from his loss to “Suga” with a win at UFC Abu Dhabi this weekend, where he battles two-time flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in an attempt to return to title contention.
“I’m prepared, and deep down in my heart, I still want to become a world champ,” Vera said on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel. “I really have the desire to hold the belt. So, I will get in there and just do my thing.”
First Impressions Of Figueiredo, Almost Fighting Henry Cejudo Instead
Vera is 2-1 against former champions, knocking out the likes of Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz, a staple of the bantamweight division. Brazil’s Figueiredo is still relatively new to the weight class, but has found much success since moving on up from the flyweight division where he had two title reigns.
Figueiredo’s coming off back-to-back wins over Rob Font and former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, who he most recently submitted at the historic UFC 300 event in April.
“It’s a great fight. It’s a huge fight for the division,” Vera said of getting matched up with Figueiredo. “I got a former champion that is undefeated in my weight class, and I cannot wait to put my hands on it and make it work.
“Coming off a title fight, I was definitely looking for a fight that drives me towards the belt again and fighting a former champion… great fight. The first call was for Henry Cejudo – of course, we accept the fight, but I think the high limit didn’t approve, so they didn’t let him [accept] the fight. Then, Hunter [Campbell] called me, like, 5 minutes later and said, ‘Hey, is Deiveson interesting? I was like, f*** yeah. Why not? Me and coach were happy about it. Coming off a fight, like, the one I just had in March, we did adjustments, and we’re ready for this one.”
Figueiredo is right underneath Henry Cejudo (another former champ) in the rankings at #6.
Prediction?
With 18 of his 23 wins coming by way of finish, Chito Vera expects to rack up another stoppage in Abu Dhabi, this time over the equally dangerous ‘God of War’ Deiveson Figueiredo.
“I’m gonna destroy him. I’m gonna put him out,” Vera said, when asked for his prediction.
Catch Chito Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo live on ESPN+ on the main card of UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov – live from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.