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Marlon Vera is not only hoping to stop a three-fight losing skid this weekend at UFC Mexico City, but the former UFC bantamweight title challenger is aiming to rediscover his violent nature that made him a standout contender in the first place.
It’s no secret that Vera has fallen on some tough times. The perennial contender is 0-3 in his last three trips to the Octagon, including a title fight loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 nearly two years ago. Vera, who burst onto the UFC scene by finishing nine out of his first 10 wins with the promotion, hasn’t scored a stoppage since shutting down an aging Dominick Cruz back in 2022.
Ahead of this weekend, Vera is looking to return to the same aggressive form that catapulted him up the bantamweight ladder so many years ago. Vera will have to get past the ultra-dangerous David Martinez in UFC Mexico’s co-main event to get there, but the 33-year-old veteran is confident he has the tools to get things done and get them done early.
“I hope so,” Vera recently told MMA Fighting when asked if he plans to start out aggressive. “It’s just because it’s so easy, I mean, to sit back, and if you have a good defense and good eyes, but it would have helped me more if I were to be a boxer. But I’m not a boxer, but, just [need to] find the mental state to let you say, ‘F—k it, just go.’
“I mean, I got power, I got good reflexes, I got good instincts, so that’s what I’m going to put in play this week and just let it go. Just be free again.”
Luckily for Vera, Martinez is a more than willing dance partner. The young bantamweight fighter is a pretty polished striker, but he doesn’t seem to shy away from chaos. This could allow Vera to dictate the fight early on and remind the division what he’s capable of.
“It means almost like take over the wheel,” he explained. “Take over the wheel and keep moving forward, and [make] a statement. Remind the division that I’m still here and, and of course, the UFC. But I mean, the UFC has been very good to me. They keep putting me in good spots, so it’s almost like I have to like, ‘OK, you guys keep giving me good chances, I’m going to make it right.’
“It’s not like before I didn’t want to make it right, it’s just, I mean, I can’t answer that, but knowing that deep down, and maybe just got to get a little more aggressive in there and keep pushing. Just keep pushing. …
“It’s Mexico City, so we got to f—king get in a proper fistfight.”
For more UFC Mexico City fight card news and coverage click HERE.