Marlon Vera

Marlon Andrés Vera Delgado (born December 2, 1992), also known as Chito Vera, is an Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 16, 2024 he is #4 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.

Background
Vera was born into a middle-class family in Chone, Ecuador. He has an older sister and brother. Causing ruckus and getting into street fights throughout his youth, Vera started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his newly-adopted hometown of Guayaquil at the age of 16.

Early career
Vera began training as an amateur in 2011 and made his professional debut in February 2012. He compiled a record of 8–1–1, competing for regional promotions in Latin America before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in 2014.

The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America
In May 2014, it was revealed that Vera was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, competing for Team Werdum.

Over the course of the show, Vera first defeated Henry Briones in the quarterfinals via knockout. Subsequently, Vera was forced out of his semi-final bout with a skin infection and was replaced by Guido Cannetti.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Vera made his official debut against fellow castmate Marco Beltrán on November 15, 2014, at UFC 180. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

For his next bout, Vera faced Roman Salazar on August 8, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 73. He won the fight via submission in the second round. He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

Vera faced Davey Grant on February 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 84. Vera lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera was expected to face Ning Guangyou on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. Subsequently, on August 9, 2016, it was revealed that Guangyou had tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol in relation to an out-of-competition drug test taken on May 19. Guangyou was cleared of wrongdoing after it was determined by USADA that he had possibly ingested tainted meat from China. As a result, he was not punished. The bout was rescheduled and expected to take place the following week at UFC on Fox 21. In turn, the bout was postponed again due to alleged visa issues for Guangyou, which restricted the timing of his travel. The pairing eventually took place at featherweight on November 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 101. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera was briefly tabbed as a short notice replacement to face Jimmie Rivera on January 15, 2017. However, Rivera declined the fight and the pairing was scrapped.

Vera was an injury replacement for Henry Briones to face Brad Pickett on March 18, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 107. Due to the short notice and preparation for Vera, the bout was contested at a catchweight of 140 lbs. He won the fight via TKO in the third round for which he was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.

Vera faced Brian Kelleher on July 22, 2017, at UFC on Fox 25. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Vera faced John Lineker on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera faced Douglas Silva de Andrade on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera faced Wuliji Buren on August 8, 2018, at UFC 227. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Vera faced Guido Cannetti on November 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 140. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.

Vera was expected to face Thomas Almeida on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235. However Almeida pulled out of the fight on January 31, citing an injury, and was replaced by Frankie Saenz. In turn, Vera pulled out of the fight on February 27 due to illness and the bout was scrapped from the event. The bout was rescheduled to UFC Fight Night 148. Vera won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Vera was scheduled to face Sean O'Malley on July 6, 2019, at UFC 239. However, O'Malley announced his withdraw from the bout on June 21, 2019, due a failed test for ostarine. O'Malley was replaced by newcomer Nohelin Hernandez. Vera won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.

Vera faced Andre Ewell on October 12, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 161. He won the fight via technical knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.

Vera was scheduled to face Jimmie Rivera on February 8, 2020, at UFC 247. However, Rivera pulled out of the fight on January 23 citing an injury. In turn, promotion officials elected to remove Vera from the card.

Vera was expected to face Eddie Wineland on March 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik. However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Vera faced Song Yadong in a featherweight bout on May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants earned the Fight of the Night award.

Vera faced Sean O'Malley on August 15, 2020, at UFC 252. Vera defeated O'Malley via first round TKO. Vera finished O'Malley with a flurry of strikes after dropping him with a calf kick.

Vera faced José Aldo on December 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Neal. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

A rematch of Vera's 2016 bout with Davey Grant took place on June 19, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 25. Vera won the bout this time via unanimous decision. The bout earned both fighters the Fight of the Night award.

Vera faced Frankie Edgar on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268. Vera won the fight via front kick knockout in round three. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Vera faced Rob Font on April 30, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 35. At the weigh-ins, Font weighed in at 138.5 pounds, two and half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Font forfeiting 20% of his purse to Vera. Vera won the bout via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award and also Font's bonus due to his weight miss.

Vera faced Dominick Cruz on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 41. Vera won the fight via knockout in the fourth round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Vera was scheduled to face Cory Sandhagen on February 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 219. However, the bout was moved to UFC on ESPN 43 on March 25 for undisclosed reasons. Vera lost the fight via split decision. Though one judge scored the bout for Vera, 24 out of 24 media outlets scored the bout for Sandhagen.

Vera was scheduled to face former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292. However, Cejudo withdrew in late June due to a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Pedro Munhoz. Vera won the fight by unanimous decision.

Vera faced Sean O'Malley in a rematch for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Vera is scheduled to face Deiveson Figueiredo on August 3, 2024, at UFC on ABC 7.

Personal life
Vera is married to María Paulina Escobar. They have two daughters, born in 2011 and 2018, and a son, born in 2015. His eldest daughter has a rare neurological condition Möbius syndrome, for which Vera created a GoFundMe account. In June 2018, Vera announced that they had raised sufficient donations for a surgery, which was planned to take place in California during the summer of 2018.

In 2017, Vera signed an advertisement deal with Pepsi through which his fans will see him on billboards all across his home country.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Roman Salazar, Brad Pickett, Andre Ewell, Frankie Edgar, and Dominick Cruz
 * Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Song Yadong, Davey Grant, and Rob Font
 * Tied (Rob Font) for fourth most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Bantamweight division history (6)
 * Most finishes in UFC Bantamweight division history (10)
 * Tied (Petr Yan & Cody Garbrandt) for second most knockdowns in UFC Bantamweight division history (10)
 * Second most bouts in UFC Bantamweight division history (20)
 * Most total fight time in UFC Bantamweight division history (4:24:51)
 * Tied (T.J. Dillashaw) for second most wins in UFC Bantamweight division history (13)
 * Tied (Rob Font & Sean O'Malley) for second most knockouts in UFC Bantamweight division history (6)
 * Tied (Kyung Ho Kang & Aljamain Sterling) for third most submissions in UFC Bantamweight division history (4)
 * Most submission attempts in UFC Bantamweight division history (16)
 * Third most significant strikes landed in UFC Bantamweight division history (1135)
 * ESPN
 * 2022 Most Improved Fighter of the Year