Vera vs Font: Contendership Stakes
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First off, I must say: this is a massive fight for Marlon. After a tough loss against another top contender in Jose Aldo, to get a top five opponent in Rob Font is an amazing opportunity. Whether he wins or loses, this fight is bound to raise his stock and popularity amongst the hardcore fans.
Marlon “Chito” Vera is a bantamweight contender currently competing in the UFC.
An earlier win against rising star Sean O’Malley has propelled Vera’s career— though not without controversy— into a must see fighter.
Chito is known amongst fans as a slow starter, preferring to pace himself slowly, gradually building on his aggression as he targets the body with front kicks from outside of the pocket. This coupled with leg kicks and a simple 1-2 allows him to stay active in the stand-up while he makes reads to land his power shots.
Which works great because if you can’t tell by his knockout of Frankie Edgar, he is good at picking his shots.
On top of solid striking ability, he’s a gritty fighter, with a solid chin to match, and an amazing submission game.
His cardio has held up before in previous fights. However, the only concern is that this will be his first five-round fight.
His opponents’ cardio, however, will be the bigger concern.
Rob Font is another contender in the bantamweight division. His standup ability, coupled with his power which lead to several knockouts in the organization, have made him a fan favorite– though there are plenty of those who do not like him for whatever reason. Rob Font came into the spotlight of fans when he knocked out a former title challenger Marlon Moraes, but what most people were amazed by was his ability to shut out former champion Cody Garbrandt with his stellar jab and accuracy.
His takedown defense leaves a lot to be desired, as he has found himself on his back in more than one fight. He also leaves himself open the guillotine when he shoots, which lead to his first submission loss at the hands of Pedro Munhoz.
His chin is also solid, but not superhuman for the division. This has helped him weather some of the shots from other hard-hitting contenders, but still manage to be rocked by top fighters such as Jose Aldo— though he still had his moments.
His biggest complement to his striking is his output and shot placement. He has no issue staying at range and pumping out the jab. However, if he needs, he can sit down on his punches and land that big shot.
Usually, this would lead to me leaning towards him in a fight as he has no issues keeping his pace.
His weigh-in however, leaves concern to be had. Earlier today, Rob Font weighed in 2 pounds over the bantamweight limit. This could be due to a terrible cut, which could eat into his cardio and endurance.
It would not be unwise to lean towards Chito. With his ability both grappling-wise and on the feet, he could present a lot of problems for Font.
What do you think? Who is your pick for tomorrow?
