Marlon Vera will do whatever it takes to get the win over Jose Aldo.
Vera takes on the former featherweight champion in a bantamweight clash on the main card of UFC Vegas 17 this weekend.
In Aldo, “Chito” is undoubtedly facing the biggest and most reputable opponent of his career thus far even if the former is on a three-fight losing streak. However, it will only be business for Vera who plans on making a statement.
“It was kind of a fight that made sense,” Vera told MMA Fighting. “I’m a f*ckin’ nerd so I see how things work with the UFC. This is a chance for him [Aldo] to prove he can still beat the up-and-comers, and this is a f*ckin’ chance for me to send him home and for me to say, ‘Hey motherf*ckers, I’m coming to be a world champion.’
“We both have a big opportunity and I’m not gonna let him off the hook. When I found out Aldo was the guy, I was like, ‘F*ck yeah, let’s do it. Let’s do it tomorrow.’”
Vera is coming off a first-round TKO win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 252 in August in what was the latter’s first professional defeat. And if he was a bad matchup for O’Malley, Vera feels he is probably the worst matchup for Aldo as he is willing to accept death to earn the victory.
“This is probably the worst matchup for him,” Vera said. “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. 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.”
Given the UFC’s plan to cut as many as 60 fighters before the end of the year, there is a possibility that this could be Aldo’s last fight, especially if he goes on to lose his fourth contest in a row. One might expect him to see the best version of Aldo this weekend as a result.
While Vera naturally respects Aldo and views him as a ‘great f*cking fighter,’ he hopes the best version of the Brazilian shows up so he can break him.
“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 added. “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.”
How do you see the fight playing out?