UFC Vegas 53 went down from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, last Sat. night (April 30) leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Andre Fili, who was knocked out by Joanderson Brito in just 41 seconds (highlights). Also, Chase Sherman, who was submitted by Alexandr Romanov in the very first round (see it again here).
Plus, Jared Gordon is still scratching his head wondering what went wrong in his submission loss to Grant Dawson. But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Rob Font.
Coming into his third straight main event, this time against Marlon Vera, Font was hoping to get back on track after getting boxed up by Jose Aldo in his previous fight, coming up short after five rounds of action. That defeat snapped his four-fight win streak, ending the momentum he had built up toward a shot at the 135-pound title.
But instead of making things right, everything took a turn for the worse for the 34 year-old striker, losing a unanimous decision to Vera after another tough 25 minutes of intense standup action. And he was left battered, bloodied and bruised, too, taking a heap of punishment from the Ecuadorian-born brawler.
However, Font proved he had grit, taking several of Vera’s shots while delivering his own. He had several shining moments and stood toe-to-toe with “Chito,” but he ultimately fell short on all of the judges’ scorecards, suffering a second straight loss for the first time in his career.
It was a tough week for Font, who had trouble trying to cut the weight to hit the 136-pound mark, coming up short by 2.5 pounds. As a result he was forced to cough up a percentage of his purse to Vera. He was also ineligible to win the $50,000 he would have earned for his “Fight of the Night” performance.
Font is still one of the best 135-pound fighters in the game and his last two setbacks shouldn’t discredit what he’s done up to this point. He remains a tough draw for anyone standing in front of him and still possess some of the best boxing in the division. And, as mentioned earlier, this is the first time he’s ever dropped consecutive fights in his career, so it’s not like he has a habit of losing.
Font now has to go back to the drawing board, regroup and correct the mistakes that have cost him in his last two fights because a third straight defeat could be detrimental for his UFC career.
As for who he should face next, a fight against former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar seems to be in order. Edgar, who is currently ranked No. 11, was last seen getting knocked out by Vera at UFC 268. “The Answer” is also on a two-fight losing streak so like Font, he is in desperate need of a win to avoid digging himself a deeper hole.
For complete UFC Vegas 53 results and coverage click HERE.