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On Aug. 3, Marlon Vera will be making the walk to the octagon for the first time since his title fight loss to Sean O'Malley at UFC 299 in March. He suffered a decision loss to 'Suga,' who put on a striking masterclass, but displayed his grit and toughness by making it to the final bell despite being outgunned for a majority of the fight.
One strike in particular has been etched in the memory of those who watched the UFC 299 main event - a step-in knee thrown by O'Malley that snapped Vera's head backwards.
The connection produced a sickening and audible crack, and fans watched on in amazement as the Ecuadorian didn't appear to be hurt by the strike.
Ahead of Vera's return to competition, where he will face Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Abu Dhabi, he appeared in front of the media. He was asked to reflect on the infamous knee, which is when he said:
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"To make a comparison, the punch [he landed] in the fifth round that landed perfectly on my eye... hurt me a million times more [than the knee]. I was fully blind, I was like, 'F*ck!' Perfect punch... The knee kind of shocked me. I was like, 'F**k I got clipped.' But my legs were there, I was just like, 'F**k that really hurt.' In terms of a hit. But my brain and my legs were there."
Watch Marlon Vera's interview below (2:40):
Marlon Vera doesn't care about Deiveson Figueiredo training with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Much has been made of Deiveson Figueirdeo's decision to train with former UFC champion and Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Brazilian is set to take on Marlon Vera at UFC Abu Dhabi, and decided to spend a week with Nurmagomedov working on his grappling.
With 'Chito' primarily being a striker, Figueiredo may plan on using his grappling skills to secure the victory.
During Vera's recent appearance in front of the media ahead of UFC Abu Dhabi, he didn't appear overly concerned by Figueiredo's decision to train with Nurmagomedov. He said:
"Khabib, that's cool. Yeah man, he can try to hump my leg. But I'm gonna slice him open with elbows. Even if he was [training] for three months with Khabib, a year with Khabib, I don't give a f**k." [6:25-6:50 in Marlon Vera's aforementioned interview]
