The Bottom Line: Wrong Turn

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Few fighters have caught fire with MMA fans more than Marlon Vera over the past few years. “Chito” has come to receive massive ovations whenever he appears in front of crowds, and his UFC on ESPN 43 headliner with Cory Sandhagen on Saturday in San Antonio drew over a $2 million gate despite having little in the way of star power beyond the main event and Holly Holm competing in the co-feature. Listening to the crowd responses, it was evident who they most came to see: the charismatic Ecuadorian finisher.

The key to Vera’s popularity isn’t that he defeated the most impressive series of opponents relative to other surging Ultimate Fighting Championship contenders. His recent four-fight winning streak had some great names on it, but they were also all in their mid-30s to early-40s while Vera is in his athletic prime and showing marked improvement from fight to fight. Rather, fans love Vera because of the way he fights and carries himself, with tenacity and heart. The nature of that connection, defined more by determination than domination, means Vera can afford to lose and still retain his popularity, but it also makes any performance like the one against Sandhagen difficult to overcome.

Sandhagen was a challenging matchup for Vera and indeed represents a dangerous matchup for pretty much anyone in the bantamweight division. Sandhagen mixed together his skills and gave Vera problems wherever the fight went. There was considerable criticism of judge Joel Ojeda’s 48-47 scorecard for Vera and rightfully so, because Sandhagen outstruck “Chito” in all five rounds in addition to his takedowns. It shouldn’t have been a difficult fight to score. However, the issue with Vera was less the fact that he lost handily and more the listlessness of the performance.

Vera has been down in fights before and come back to win. Against Sandhagen, the big push never really came. Of course, that’s easier said than done against a fighter as skilled as Sandhagen, but the fans who have rallied behind Vera have come to expect that fighting spirit. The most telling aspect of the fight was listening to the crowd. Boisterous and enthusiastic at the start of the fight, the crowd by the end of the fight was disarmingly quiet. That’s not the type of reaction that’s desired for a big fight and certainly not for a popular fighter looking to rally for a come-from-behind victory.

One final push at the end of a losing effort can go a long way for crowd favorites who aren’t quite at the level of the elite of their division. At UFC 263, Nate Diaz struggled pretty much the entire way against Leon Edwards, but one big left hand late and a furious push at the end left him as popular as ever even in defeat. The fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will be remembered most positively for is likely a near shutout decision loss to Sergio Martinez because, even down 11 rounds, he rallied in the 12th and almost pulled off the win against a far superior opponent. That meant much more for his reputation than his many wins against handpicked cannon fodder.

In MMA, the path to becoming a championship-level fighter is not always the same as the path to becoming a star fighter. Plenty of champions never connected with fans, and as a result, they made less money and are less well-remembered than other fighters who had less impressive resumes but were beloved figures by those who follow the sport closely. Vera has a star quality few fighters have, and he likely has a better chance of being a perennial crowd favorite than a longstanding champion—not to dismiss his chances of championship glory given the strides he has already made. It goes without saying that losses work against the latter goal, but fights like the one that took place at UFC on ESPN 43 work even more against the former goal.

As for Sandhagen, his title aspirations are hindered by the large number of variables outside his control in a turbulent and talented division. Where does Henry Cejudo stand in the division after nearly three years out? How long will Aljamain Sterling remain champion and, in so doing, block his close friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili from a title shot? Does the UFC feel Sean O’Malley is ready for his title shot?

Really, the other fighters in the division should be rooting for O’Malley to get to the championship level because he’s the one who has the greatest potential to turn 135 pounds into a money division where all the fighters get bigger checks. Sandhagen is at the mercy of factors beyond his control, but at least by winning, he can keep himself in the mix for a high-profile opponent next time out. It’s certainly better to take a small step forward than a big step back.