Video: Vera Corners Pantless Cruz Backstage After UFC Vegas 29

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Marlon caught Dominick with his pants down after calling the former bantamweight champ out during last night’s broadcast. Two things we didn’t expect to see coming out of this weekend’s UFC…


UFC Fight Night: Vera v Grant
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Marlon caught Dominick with his pants down after calling the former bantamweight champ out during last night’s broadcast.

Two things we didn’t expect to see coming out of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 29 event from the APEX in Las Vegas: a man dressed like Jesus Christ sitting cageside casually watching the fights. And Marlon Vera confronting a pants-less Dominick Cruz backstage after the event.

Yes, both these things happen, and no, we don’t have much explanation for either.

Re: Jesus, we got a glimpse of him as the UFC showed off the select group of celebrities invited to the largely closed off event, which included WNBA star Kelsey Plum. Sitting next to her? Our lord and savior, whom Jon Anik completely ignored. In fact, no one bothered to mention or explain this divine presence, even after Plum mocked a square off with the son of God.

Now onto strange happening number 2: shortly after the conclusion of UFC Vegas 29, Michael Bisping released the below Instagram story which shows bantamweight contender Marlon Vera backstage with commentator Dominick Cruz, who he’d called out earlier in the night following his win over Davey Grant.

“I really don’t like you, but I don’t have my pants on so I know how weird that is,” Cruz says before Bisping busts in declaring “It’s very weird!”

We’d suggest the whole thing was a set up, but you know how much Dominick Cruz hates doing demeaning promotional spots.

Whatever the truth may be, we doubt this signals there’s a chance Vera could get his wish of fighting Cruz next.

“There’s a long list of people calling me out,” Cruz said immediately after Chito’s request. “We are all trying to fight up the rankings, up the ladder. I gotta respect somebody who’s trying to fight up the ladder. He wants to fight me. I want to fight up the ladder too.”

Marlon Vera was ranked #15 at bantamweight coming into UFC Vegas 29. Dominick Cruz still sits at #9, despite his only two fights in the past 5 years being a loss to Henry Cejudo in 2020 and a split decision win over unranked Casey Kenney in March of 2021.