In response to his defeat by Cory Sandhagen at UFC San Antonio, Marlon Vera makes a statement.
A fight between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen finally took place in the octagon after months of anticipation, and it mostly lived up to the hype. The Ecuadorian posted a message on social media to his followers after the battle in order to address his supporters.
‘Chito’ is renowned for his brutal fighting style and drive to knock opponents out, but on his most recent battle, he just couldn’t get going and lost. Even though it appeared to be fairly one-sided, the South American managed to prevail on one of the judges’ scorecards, making his loss a divided decision.
After experiencing a minor “bump in the road” during his Saturday night main-event match against Cory Sandhagen, Marlon Vera maintained in a post shared on Instagram that he’s far from done:
“Lil bump in the road, it’s only over if I decide it. And we’re far from that… Be back soon.”
Vera had not lost in the octagon since losing to Jose Aldo in late 2020, which marked his previous setback almost three years ago. Despite the fact that his winning run came to an end, the 30-year-old still has plenty of energy, and despite the disappointing performance, he is still one of the most dangerous men at 135 pounds.
The outstanding performance by Sandhagen has propelled him up the rankings and within striking distance of UFC gold, even though a title chance may not be in the cards. The flashy attacker, who has won his last two fights, is a lock to challenge for the title should he triumph in his upcoming match.
After losing to Cory Sandhagen, what will Marlon Vera do next?
Marlon Vera still has a number of options at the top of the division available to him when he decides to return to the cage, even though a return date is not yet known.
Following Marlon Vera’s defeat to Cory Sandhagen, the No. 3 ranked bantamweight has called out former champion Petr Yan and is prepared to return to the cage. The No. 4 ranked bantamweight was placed on notice by “Chito” after a very poor showing at last Saturday’s UFC event.
Vera, whose winning run of four matches was broken, said:
“Yan it’s about time..”
In November 2022, Chito used Twitter to challenge the former featherweight champion. He wrote:
“@PetrYanUFC where u at ??”
Since Marlon Vera first called out Petr Yan, a lot has changed for both fighters. At UFC Fight Night 221, Merab Dvalishvili dominated “No Mercy” after two straight split decision defeats. This past weekend, ‘Chito’ lost his first match since 2020 at UFC on ESPN 43 as Cory Sandhagen triumphed over him by split decision.
In order to get back into championship contention in the crowded bantamweight division, both fighters will need to secure solid victories. The match makes sense because Vera is the only top-five bantamweight Yan has not yet fought. Yan has not yet responded to the call out.
The fans have been clamouring for ‘Chito’ Vera and former bantamweight king Petr Yan to square off, and the winner will probably be thrust back into title contention. Numerous opportunities are emerging.
A standup brawl is always welcomed by the heavy-handed brawler, and in his weight class, he has many choices. A rematch with Sean O’Malley following their contentious initial encounter is one that is arguably the least likely at this juncture.
