Tag: Marlon Vera

Sean O’Malley Turns In Early Prediction For Vera vs. Cruz

Sean O’Malley believes Dominick Cruz will be too fast and is simply better than his former foe Marlon Vera ahead of their clash in August. Cruz and Vera are reportedly slated to meet inside the Octagon at the UFC’s August 13 show. Currently, Cruz is the No. 8-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, riding a two-fight…

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Sean O’Malley believes Dominick Cruz will be too fast and is simply better than his former foe Marlon Vera ahead of their clash in August.

Cruz and Vera are reportedly slated to meet inside the Octagon at the UFC’s August 13 show. Currently, Cruz is the No. 8-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, riding a two-fight win streak. As for Vera, a three-fight win streak has him listed as the No. 5-ranked 135-pounder in the UFC.

One man who knows Vera very well is top bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley, whose first and only loss in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career came from Vera. Speaking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley broke down Cruz vs. Vera.

O’Malley believes that Cruz, the former king of the UFC’s bantamweight division, will prove too fast for Vera. He also believes “The Dominator” is simply better than the Ecuadorian contender.

“When José (Aldo) fought ‘Chito,’ I said, ‘I think José wins that fight,’” O’Malley said (via MMA Junkie). “When Chito fought Frankie (Edgar), I said, ‘I think Chito wins that fight.’ Chito fought Rob (Font), I think I said, ‘Chito wins that fight.’ Chito vs. Dom (Cruz), I think Dom wins.

“I just think Dom’s gonna be a little bit too fast, just a little bit better than Chito. But, with that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chito won, but I do think Dom’s gonna take that.”

As for O’Malley, the No. 13-ranked bantamweight returns at UFC 276 on July 2 against Pedro Munhoz. A potential win over Munhoz could land O’Malley inside the top 10, leading to a possible clash with Cruz or Vera down the road.

What do you make of Sean O’Malley saying Cruz is better than his former opponent, Vera? Let us know in the comments section below!

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley Turns In Early Prediction For Vera vs. Cruz at MMA News.

Michael Bisping Refuses to Call Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera; ‘The Abuse I Would Have to Endure’

Dominick CruzFormer UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will return to the Octagon to face fast-rising contender Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera on August 13th at a UFC Fight Night event. ESPN Deportes was first to report the matchup which is expected to be a five-round main event. No venue or location has been announced as of yet, but […]

Dominick Cruz

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will return to the Octagon to face fast-rising contender Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera on August 13th at a UFC Fight Night event. ESPN Deportes was first to report the matchup which is expected to be a five-round main event. No venue or location has been announced as of yet, but the event is expected to take place in San Diego, CA. 

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping posted a video on his YouTube channel discussing the bout. In the video, Bisping breaks down the bout, but notes as a good friend of both Cruz and Vera, ‘The Count’ refuses to predict a winner for fear that the “abuse would be unbearable”, particularly from Cruz. 

“I can’t make a prediction because I’m friends with both of them. Number one, I might end up commentating the fight so if I make a prediction, that will come back and bite me in the a**. Secondly, it’s a tough fight to predict, but most importantly, Dominick Cruz would give me so much sh*t. Next time I work with him, I’ll be at the APEX or wherever we are and he would, the abuse I would have to endure if I picked against him, it would be very annoying.

“Marlon Vera is a good friend as well so I’m sitting on the fence in this one guys. I’m just going to be like you guys. I’m going to be a fan unless I’m a commentator. Then I’ll have to put all my personal feelings aside and be the professional that I am.”

Bisping Discusses The Work Ethic of Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera

Bisping would go on to highlight the storied career of ‘The Dominator’ who remains undefeated in non-title bouts.

“Whoever wins this fight has a really good possibility of going on and potentially fighting for the belt again. As we know, that’s what Dominick wants. Dominick’s getting on in his career with the greatest of respect. He’s in his mid-30’s and as I said, he’s had an amazing career. He’s no doubt going to be in the hall of fame.”

Bisping discussed the work ethic of Marlon Vera, describing him as a fighter who is obsessed with becoming a world champion.

“Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera is a young hungry contender that is obsessed with being a champion. There’s hardly any rest days for this guy. Even at the weekend, he’s having active rest. When he’s taking days off, the guy’s running marathons. He’s always doing 24 hour fasts. 48 hour fasts. The man is literally obsessed. He’ll have a fight on Saturday night and he’s back at the gym on Monday.”

The winner will likely find themselves in pole position for a bantamweight title opportunity. Do you believe ‘The Dominator’ will continue to dominate the competition or is it Vera’s time to rise?

Watch: Marlon Vera Ambushed By Wave Of Fans In Ecuador

Marlon Vera was recently ambushed by a wave of loving fans in his native Ecuador. Ariel Helwani shared the video on his Twitter account, which showed “Chito” Vera surrounded by fans while picking up his nephew from school in Ecuador. Check out the video below. Vera certainly seems to be a big star is his…

Continue Reading Watch: Marlon Vera Ambushed By Wave Of Fans In Ecuador at MMA News.

Marlon Vera was recently ambushed by a wave of loving fans in his native Ecuador.

Ariel Helwani shared the video on his Twitter account, which showed “Chito” Vera surrounded by fans while picking up his nephew from school in Ecuador. Check out the video below.

Vera certainly seems to be a big star is his home country, who will all certainly be watching his next fight, which will be the biggest of his career. He’s slated to challenge Dominick Cruz at the UFC’s August 13 event.

Cruz is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, and a legendary champion in the UFC’s bantamweight division history. Currently, Cruz is the No. 8-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, riding a two-fight win streak.

As for Vera, the 29-year-old is the No. 5-ranked bantamweight in the UFC at the moment. He’s won three-straight since his last defeat in December of 2020. That came at the hands of José Aldo, who took a unanimous decision win over Vera.

Now, Vera has the opportunity to earn a potential win over Cruz, which could propel him into the title conversation. It will be interesting to see how the matchup plays out this upcoming August.

What do you make of Marlon Vera and his apparent superstardom in his native Ecuador? Sound off in the comments!

Continue Reading Watch: Marlon Vera Ambushed By Wave Of Fans In Ecuador at MMA News.

Report | Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz Set For 5 Round Main Event In August

Dominick CruzTwo bantamweight fan favorites have reportedly been booked to face off in a main event bout, as former champ Dominick Cruz takes on rising contender Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. According to a report via Calos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes, Cruz and Vera have both accepted the fight offer, and will headline a Fight Night main […]

Dominick Cruz

Two bantamweight fan favorites have reportedly been booked to face off in a main event bout, as former champ Dominick Cruz takes on rising contender Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.

According to a report via Calos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes, Cruz and Vera have both accepted the fight offer, and will headline a Fight Night main event on August 13. It is also noted that Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araujo will serve as the cards co-main event.

Marlon Vera is on an excellent run of form, having picked up consecutive victories over Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar and Rob Font. Whilst he did come up short against Jose Aldo four fights ago, prior to that he had knocked out Sean O’Malley in one round.

Dominick Cruz still holds a remarkable statistic that he is undefeated in non title fight matchups, with his only losses coming against Henry Cejudo, Cody Garbrandt and Urijah Faber. ‘The Dominator’ has an impressive 24 wins on his record, and has truly fought a whos who of the bantamweight division over the past decade. He holds impressive wins over the likes of T.J. Dillashaw, Pedro Munhoz, Demetrious Johnson, and Urijah Faber.

Marlon Vera calls out Dominick Cruz

Marlon Vera has called out Dominick Cruz multiple times in the past, though for no doubt a multitude of reasons, the former champion has always declined. Recently, Vera featured as a guest on The MMA Hour, where he once again called for the fight, only this time, it appeared to work. He stated that:

“Before, in the 10 times he declined to fight me — I’m not calling you a p****, but he declined a couple times in the past — he was always talking, he wanted to fight [opponents who were] above him [in the rankings]. Guess what? I’m above you right now, motherf***er. So now we can go. Now we can go.” (H/T MMA Fighting).

Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera Targeted For August 13 Event

A fight between top bantamweights Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera is currently targeted to headline a UFC Fight Night card on August 13. A report from ESPN Deportes indicates that the matchup and date have been verbally agreed upon by both fighters. Marlon “Chito” Vera is currently on a three-fight win streak following a unanimous…

Continue Reading Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera Targeted For August 13 Event at MMA News.

A fight between top bantamweights Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera is currently targeted to headline a UFC Fight Night card on August 13.

A report from ESPN Deportes indicates that the matchup and date have been verbally agreed upon by both fighters.

Marlon “Chito” Vera is currently on a three-fight win streak following a unanimous decision victory over Rob Font in his first UFC main event in April. Prior to that, the Ecuadorian finished former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and won a unanimous decision over Davey Grant.

The 29-year-old’s last loss was a unanimous decision against former featherweight king Jose Aldo in 2020.

Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has won two-straight fights after being stopped by Henry Cejudo in a bid to regain his title in 2020. That fight with Cejudo was Cruz’s first bout in more than three years after he originally lost his title to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207.

“The Dominator” rebounded from his loss to Cejudo with a split-decision over Casey Kenney, followed by a unanimous decision win against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 last December.

Currently the UFC’s #5-ranked bantamweight contender, Vera made waves after his win over Rob Font when he called out Cruz during an appearance on The MMA Hour. Speaking to host Ariel Helwani, “Chito” pointed out Cruz’s previous stance that he was unwilling to fight Vera due to him being ranked too low.

The 37-year old former champion is currently #8 in the UFC’s bantamweight rankings.

With this bantamweight matchup potentially slotted in as the main event, other bouts for the UFC’s August 13 card currently include:

Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov (Heavyweight)

Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann (Women’s Bantamweight)

Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araujo (Women’s Flyweight)

Yazmin Jauregui vs. Istela Nunes (Strawweight)

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bruno Silva (Middleweight)

Lukasz Brzeski vs. Martin Buday (Heavyweight)

Who do you think gets their hand raised in a fight between Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera?

Continue Reading Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera Targeted For August 13 Event at MMA News.

Marlon Vera Belives The UFC Is Working To “Benefit” Sean O’Malley

Marlon Vera thinks “Suga” Sean O’Malley is getting special treatment from the UFC matchmakers. Marlon “Chito” Vera is working his way to a bantamweight title shot. With three wins in a row, he has now found himself in the top five of the division and looking for a top-ranked opponent next. Even though it seems…

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Marlon Vera thinks “Suga” Sean O’Malley is getting special treatment from the UFC matchmakers.

Marlon “Chito” Vera is working his way to a bantamweight title shot. With three wins in a row, he has now found himself in the top five of the division and looking for a top-ranked opponent next. Even though it seems that all sights are set ahead of him, there is one past opponent that he cannot seem to escape. That man is Sean O’Malley.

Sean O'Malley
© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

O’Malley and Vera fought in Aug. of 2020 with Vera coming out on top. At the time, Vera was the only ranked opponent O’Malley had faced in the UFC and, because of his rising fame, he began to take some heat for failing to fight “tougher” competition.

Now, O’Malley has another ranked opponent ahead of him. He will face Pedro Munhoz in July, but Vera still believes, O’Malley is being given an easier task.

“They couldn’t find him a better fight in the top ten,” he told Brendan Schaub on Food Truck Diaries via Sportskeeda. ” Hey, find the smaller guy with the shorter reach. Everything is to benefit ‘Sugar’ because even if he lost, he gonna say, ‘Aw, I fought a tough guy,’ which is like … who f***ing cares? I’ve beat him.”

O’Malley has been asking for another shot at Vera since losing to him two years ago. He has been critical of his performances as well. However, it was Vera who announced that O’Malley has turned down the proposed offer.

Vera has been targeting other top-five opponents like Petr Yan and Dominick Cruz. If O’Malley can defeat the #10-ranked Munoz and find himself in the top ten, he could find himself in a rematch with “Chito”.

Would you like to see Marlon Vera take on Sean O’Malley again?

Continue Reading Marlon Vera Belives The UFC Is Working To “Benefit” Sean O’Malley at MMA News.