Avenging a previous loss to Davey Grant
was more meaningful to Marlon Vera
than most people might realize.
After falling to Grant via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 84
in February 2016, Vera outpointed Grant in their rematch at
UFC on ESPN 25, a bout that earned “Fight of the Night”
honors.
“It feels amazing. He got me back in the day when I was younger and
green in the game. You aren’t beating me twice,” Vera said. “That’s
not going to happen. When they called me for this fight, I was
honestly expecting a bigger fight. Everybody was like, ‘Easy
fight.’ There are no easy fights in the Octagon. That got proven
today. I also proved my level, gas tank and technique. I’m not
going to just give up.
“The guy beat me when I was young and a newcomer. He broke
my heart, because that was the fight that made me leave to the U.S.
I told myself I couldn’t be in Ecuador anymore. Now we’re here
after five years. It’s pretty damn good.”
At the time, the loss to Grant was Vera’s second in three UFC
appearances. Today, he’s far more established in the bantamweight
division, with victories in seven of his last nine outings within
the Las Vegas-based promotion. “Chito” is looking for a
high-profile opponent next, and after a recent competitive loss to
Jose
Aldo, he believes another matchup with a former champion would
be appropriate.
“I think Dominick
Cruz makes sense because we’re both coming off wins,” Vera
said. “I’ve been in the top 15 for a while now. I’ve fought the
best in the division. My last fight was against Jose Aldo. He had
to hold me down in order to win that fight. I feel I won the fight,
but he won on points. But there are no excuses. If you hold me
down, it’s on me to escape. I take it on the chin like a man.”
Still just 28 years old, Vera harbors big dreams, and he’s willing
to sacrifice to make his goals become a reality. It’s a philosophy
not so different from the one he adopted after losing to Grant some
five years ago.
“I’m not messing around, I’m investing in my career,” Vera said. “I
will do whatever it costs to become a world champion. I want to get
the belt for Ecuador.”