5 potential opponents for Marlon Vera after his recent victory

#2. Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen

Cory Sandhagen could be seen as the bantamweight division's toughest gatekeeper

If Marlon Vera is looking to fight an opponent ranked above him, then he could do a lot worse than to call out Cory Sandhagen, who currently sits at No.4 in the UFC’s bantamweight division.

Sure, the UFC doesn’t tend to book clashes between fighters coming off wins and fighters coming off losses, but in this case, a Vera vs. Sandhagen bout may make too much sense to ignore. Not only would it be an excellent fight for both men, it’d also provide almost guaranteed fireworks.

While Sandhagen was defeated by both Petr Yan and T.J. Dillashaw in 2021, both fights were razor-close calls and ‘The Sandman’ pushed both men all the way over five rounds. More to the point, he’s a deadly and flashy striker who is more than capable of taking an opponent out in stunning fashion.

‘Chito’ has proven to be very similar in that sense, as despite going the distance with Rob Font this past weekend, he’s scored highlight-reel finishes over the likes of Sean O’Malley and Frankie Edgar in recent years.

More importantly, though, it’d be easy to view Sandhagen as the ultimate gatekeeper at 135 pounds right now, with the fighters capable of beating him being those capable of fighting for or winning the UFC bantamweight title.

With that in mind, if ‘Chito’ really sees himself as a future champion in this weight class, then defeating ‘The Sandman’ would be the best way to prove that he’s capable of that. Basically, this would simply be an excellent fight to make overall.

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#1. Marlon Vera vs. Petr Yan

A win over Petr Yan would provide Marlon Vera with a clear path to a title shot

Given that it’s unlikely that the UFC will look to book a third fight between reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and former titleholder Petr Yan any time soon – not with Jose Aldo, Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw waiting in the wings – then ‘No Mercy’ will require a different high-level opponent.

So, given that Marlon Vera is looking for a fight that will immediately push him into title contention, a clash between ‘Chito’ and Yan might make sense from the point of view of everyone concerned.

Admittedly, this would be a hugely dangerous fight for Vera. It’s one thing knocking out Frankie Edgar and turning Rob Font’s face into hamburger meat, but ‘No Mercy’ is on another level entirely, even if he was unable to defeat Sterling last month.

When you consider what the Russian did to Aldo in their fight, as well as his win over Cory Sandhagen, it’s arguable that Yan is the most deadly striker in the division. With that in mind, a fight with him would be a massive risk for ‘Chito’.

However, it’d carry with it a huge reward too, as a win over a recent former champion would almost definitely propel the Ecuadorian into a title shot of his own.

Essentially, if Vera has a mind to make it to the top of the bantamweight division, he’ll have to beat the best fighters, and there aren’t many better than Yan right now.