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On Saturday, Marlon Vera scored arguably the biggest win of his career with a devastating head kick finish of former champion and UFC legend Dominick Cruz. While Vera was already in the top five at bantamweight, that win likely leaves him needing at most one more win to earn a title opportunity.
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There is also a chance he may be able to challenge for the belt right away given just how sensational his KO was. With a number of important bantamweight bouts scheduled to take place in the coming months, he will likely have to see how those play out. From there, we may get a better idea of who is next for 'Chito'.
Here are five fights that could be next for Marlon Vera:
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#5. Marlon Vera vs. Sean O’Malley II
Sean O’Malley’s next fight will come against Peter Yan at UFC 280 on October 22. Should he win that fight he could easily leapfrog Marlon Vera and others in the division to secure the next title shot. However, 'Sugar' has, in the past, expressed a marked disinclination to fight Vera again.
If Jose Aldo defeats Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday, he will have a strangle-hold on the next bantamweight title shot. Should O’Malley also win, he would likely still have to wait until after Aldo fights for the belt to get his title opportunity. In this scenario, he may choose to stay active instead of sitting on his spot.
That could set up a re-match between O’Malley and Vera. ‘Chito’ won their first encounter but O’Malley has labeled the result a ‘freak acciddent’ and does not acknowledge it as a loss. It's noteworthy that Vera finished O'Malley on the ground after the latter suffered an ankle injury inside the cage, potentially due to Vera's leg-kicks. Seeing these two settle the score with title implications at stake would be interesting.
#4. Marlon Vera vs. Merab Dvalishvili
As mentioned previously, Merab Dvalishvili will fight Jose Aldo this Saturday. While Aldo will become the number one contender with a win, the reverse may not be the case for Dvalishvili who doesn’t have the name or the resume of Aldo's. If Dvalishvili wins, a fight against Vera could make sense.
Should Saturday play out as mentioned above, both Vera and Dvalishvili could well be one win away from the title fight they both desire. A match-up between the two would also ensure a fresh new championship challenger for the UFC.
The fight would be a typical striker vs. grappler affair. For those wondering how it might play out, Dvalishvili’s next bout with Aldo will likely provide some clues.
#3. Marlon Vera vs. T.J. Dillashaw
In truth, if Dvalishvili turns a typical workman-like victory over Aldo, Vera would likely be closer to a title shot than the Georgian. If O’Malley is also unable to make the number one contender’s spot his own, Vera’s next fight could conceivably be for the UFC bantamweight championship.
In this scenario, he could end up fighting T.J. Dillashaw, who will try to re-claim the 135 lbs strap against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280. Should Dillashaw win in a fashion that does not merit an immediate rematch, that would then pave the way for an intriguing title fight between him and Vera.
While a number of results would have to fall into place to facilitate this one, what a match-up it would be. The proud hard-working Ecuadorian finally getting his chance at gold against the three-time champion and former drug cheat in Dillashaw would be an incredible story.
#2. Marlon Vera vs. Aljamain Sterling
If Marlon Vera’s next fight does prove to be for the championship, it is more likely that that bout will come against current champion Aljamain Sterling. Sterling surprised many with his most recent performance that saw him defeat Petr Yan and so he may very well pull off a similar result against Dillashaw. That could lead to an incredible match-up between Vera and Sterling that would likely see a high quantity of kicks, given both men typically throw a high volume of leg strikes.
Outside of the kicks, Sterling is known for his great grappling skills whereas Vera would presumably try to keep things on the feet.
Seeing Vera fight for gold would be a special moment given his long path to the belt and so it’s fun to play around with the idea of him taking on the current champion. While there is still plenty that needs to fall into place before we get this one, if it happens, it would be a treat for MMA fans everywhere.
#1. Marlon Vera vs. Petr Yan
Once again, let’s predict some upcoming results and see how we could get to this fight. First, it would take Jose Also defeating Merab Dvalishvili to take the number one contender’s spot off the table for himself. Next, Petr Yan would need to defeat Sean O’Malley to re-establish himself as a title contender.
Then, whilst the Sterling/Dillashaw winner fights Aldo, Vera and Yan could do battle to earn their shot at the gold. While again there are several bouts that must play out first, it does seem as though this could be a realistic possibility of how things could play out. The Vera vs. Yan match-up it would produce could be very special.
Vera and Yan are two incredibly talented strikers, with ‘Chito’ having some of the best kicks in the sport and ‘No Mercy’ being one of the best boxers on the roster. The fight would give Vera the opportunity to earn a title shot and would likely do the same for Yan given how close he came last time out.
