Marlon Vera has fought some of the best fighters in the bantamweight division. He is looking to add to that list when he takes on Cory Sandhagen on 19 February in the main event at UFC Fight Night. The pair, who are the #4 and #5 ranked fighters in the division, respectively, are looking to secure a title shot next. In an interview with Michael Bisping, Vera spoke about a title shot if he beats Sandhagen:
"A thousand percent and the guys I've been beating is either former world champions or like top 5 guys. So you know probably for myself I have a little longer road but it is what it is, it's life. But when some people have an easier road, a shorter road, I have a longer road. But I really believe with a solid win on this guy (Cory Sandhagen), I'm fighting for the belt regardless."
He added:
"All these hype things, you know, who got more views, who got less views doesn't f***ing matter. You go in there and you put the lights out, the views just come your way."
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Marlon Vera, better known as Chito Vera, is very confident that he can secure a title shot if he is able to overcome Cory Sandhagen. Vera is on a four-fight winning streak, whereas Sandhagen has just one win in his past three fights. This matchup promises to be an interesting one.
Take a look at the video (Quotes 7:13 onwards):
Sean O'Malley wants Marlon Vera to beat Cory Sandhagen so they can fight for the title
Marlon Vera is the only man who has managed to beat Sean O'Malley in the Octagon. The sole loss of his career came at UFC 252 in 2020. Since then, both fighters have improved tremendously and fought the best in the division. In episode 218 of the TimboSugarShow, O'Malley gave his predictions for 'Chito' Vera vs. Sandhagen and revealed who he was rooting for:
"I want Chito to win, obviously, because then if that is the case then me vs Chito for the belt is massive. Or I go out there beat whoever that is and then first title defense against Chito."
All this is considering that Aljamain Sterling vacates his title and moves up in weight. The belt will then be vacant, and Sean O'Malley believes if 'Chito' Vera can beat Cory Sandhagen, then a title match between them will be massive for the UFC.
Take a look at the video (Quotes from 11:23):