5 Defining Moments: Marlon Vera

Untimely disruptions have thus far prevented Marlon Vera from reaching the top of the cutthroat Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

The 30-year-old Ecuadorian will seek to improve upon a 14-7 record inside the Octagon when he toes the line against former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Pedro Munhoz in a featured UFC 292 attraction on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Vera has rattled off 10 wins across his past 13 appearances, his rise to prominence highlighted by victories over Sean O’Malley, Rob Font and Dominick Cruz. “Chito” has never been finished in his 29-fight career.

As Vera approaches his forthcoming battle with Munhoz at 135 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Shaky Intro

Takedowns, ground-and-pound and stubborn submission defense carried Marco Antonio Beltran to a unanimous decision over Vera in their UFC 180 bantamweight prelim on Nov. 15, 2014 at Mexico City Arena. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28. Beltran did his best work in top position, where he battered his counterpart with elbows. 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 “Psycho” into the ground, dropped elbows and framed a late brabo choke. However, the finish he needed did not present itself, dooming his promotional debut.

2. Disrespect Your Elders

Vera replaced an injured Enrique Briones and took out the retiring Brad Pickett 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 end came 3:50 into Round 3. Pickett was seemingly headed for a unanimous decision at the time of the stoppage. The American Top Team rep 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 export 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 Pickett with a head kick and drew the curtain with standing-to-ground hammerfists.

3. A Brush with Greatness

The incomparable Jose Aldo returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly two years when he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Vera in their UFC Fight Night 183 co-main event on Dec. 19, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges struck 29-28 scorecards. Vera focused his efforts on the legs, attacking the former UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting champion with a steady stream of kicks. He also enjoyed success in the clinch, where he peppered the Brazilian with close-range knees. It was not enough. Aldo responded with crisp punching combinations and some patented leg kicks of his own. He turned in a rare takedown in the third round, climbed onto the Colin Oyama protégé’s back and secured his position with a body triangle. From there, he bled precious time off the clock, frustrated Vera with merciless control and fished for rear-naked chokes.

4. Chin Check

Vera put away Frankie Edgar with a front kick in the third round of their UFC 268 bantamweight feature on Nov. 6, 2021 at Madison Square Gardin New York. “Chito” drew the curtain 3:50 into Round 3, momentarily stealing a show headlined by the Kamaru Usman-Colby Covington rematch. Edgar struck for two takedowns in the first half of the fight, consolidating them with positional control and elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Vera kept his composure under duress. He scrambled free in the second round and overwhelmed Edgar with merciless pressure. Vera staggered the Mark Henry disciple with a left hook in Round 3, cut off his increasingly desperate bids for takedowns, backed him to the fence and sliced through his defenses with the front kick. The impact snapped back Edgar’s head and dropped him face first to the canvas, at which point referee Todd Anderson elected to intervene.

5. Work Left to Do

Cory Sandhagen flexed the kind of all-terrain game that leads some to view him as a future titleholder in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division when the Elevation Fight Team star outclassed Vera for the better part of 25 minutes and claimed a split decision in their UFC on ESPN 43 headliner on March 25, 2023 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee saw it 50-45 and 49-46 for Sandhagen, while Joel Ojeda cast a puzzling 48-47 scorecard for Vera. Sandhagen flummoxed “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist with fluid stance switches and constant lateral movement. He outstruck Vera across wide swaths of the match—his right uppercut was particularly effective—and completed takedowns in the first, second and fifth rounds, combining them with positional control and ground-and-pound. Vera failed to get fully in gear until the waning moments of Round 5, where he connected with a standing elbow in the clinch and followed it with a clean left hook. By then, it was a case of too little too late for “Chito.”