Marlon Vera picked up one of the biggest wins of his career by knocking out Sean O’Malley at UFC 252 this past August, earning him his sixth win in last seven tries. With big wins come big opportunities and “Chito” got just that as he is lined up to face Jose Aldo this Saturday night (Dec. 19, 2020) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And Vera plans to make the most of his opportunity, all while not falling into the trap of knowing he is fighting one of the best 145-pound fighters in the history of the sport, saying Aldo is simply another name on the contract. Furthermore, he is willing to risk it all to prove victorious in “Sin City.”
“This is probably the worst matchup for him,” Vera told MMA Fighting. “It’s just another day at the office for me. It’s a name, it’s Dec. 19, and it’s a f*ckin’ fight. When they lock the cage and after Bruce Buffer is out of the cage, I’m gonna go f*ckin’ fight my ass off.,” he added.
“I’m willing to hurt this guy and I’m willing to take it to win. I’m not gonna shy away and, like the samurais say, I’m accepting death in order to achieve victory. I’m not f*cking around with that. I’m coming and I’m coming in hot. That was my post when I announced the fight. I’m coming in red f*ckin’ hot.”
Aldo is currently riding a three-fight losing streak, with his last win coming nearly two years ago. And while “Junior” has seen better days inside the Octagon, Vera hopes to see the best version of the Brazilian bomber come fight night.
“I hope so, so I can see where I am but at the end of the day, I’m gonna push every single limit that I have on myself and I’m gonna break this guy,” Vera explained. “I’m gonna walk through him and I’m gonna stalk him. I’m gonna do it. Just like all of my fights, I’m gonna fight like a f*ckin’ motherf*cker. I’m gonna put it on him.”
A win over Aldo — who now fights at Bantamweight — will go a long way in helping “Chito” crack the Top 10 and set him up for an even bigger named in his next outing.