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#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.
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Outside of the kicks, Sterling is known for his great grappling skills whereas Vera would presumably try to keep things on the feet.
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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.
