Marlon “Chito” Vera doesn’t think he made the right choice by competing at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this month (Aug. 3, 2024).
It’s been a tough 2024 for Ecuador’s favorite fighting son. The perennial Bantamweight contender, Vera, received a golden opportunity in the form of his title fight rematch against Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 in March 2024. Unfortunately for Vera, he took a lopsided beating en route to a unanimous decision loss (watch highlights).
The 31-year-old returned at UFC Abu Dhabi to try and get back in the win column against the former UFC Flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo. Again, Vera came up short when bested by “Deus Da Guerra” via unanimous decision. Reflecting on the loss, Vera feels he rushed back into action while pointing out a potentially fight-changing moment in round one.
“Me and the team definitely got to the conclusion that we definitely came back too soon,” Vera said on his Chito Vera Podcast. “I went into a five-round war with the champion, and we all agreed after my March title fight that we would come back either November in New York or December. There was no chance of us coming back earlier, right? So I feel that was a mistake on us, I would say on me. It will be a way smarter decision to stick to the original plan, but it is what it is.
“Talking about the fight, I would say it was pretty close,” he continued. “It was a very close fight. The only thing that I want to take away from this fight, that axe kick that he landed on the first round, that wasn’t an accident. That went straight to my face. I feel that should have been taken a point deducted automatically. That’s my thought. I mean, you go by the rules, right? You don’t kick on the ground opponent. I will say, if that would be a point deducted, we could be talking a different story right now. It is what it is.”
Vera now plans to take some more time ahead of his return to action. As for possible opponents, he threw out names like a Cory Sandhagen rematch, Petr Yan, or even the loser of the upcoming O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title fight at Noche UFC next month (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024).