It was a slow start to the fight for Marlon Vera, but he made an adjustment and Andre Ewell could not keep up at UFC Tampa.
Marlon Vera comes into UFC Tampa on a roll with four straight finishes. Ewell is 2-1 in the UFC, including a debut win over Renan Barao.
Marlon Vera ducked under a punch and shot for a takedown early in the fight, but Andre Ewell defended well. Ewell landed to the body, then fired off a combination that backed Vera off. Once again, Ewell whiffed on a punch and Vera swiftly got a hold of him, nearly locking up a head and arm choke from the bottom before Ewell broke free and began working from guard. Vera rolled for an armbar, which opened the opportunity to stand up. On the feet, both fighters struggled to land cleanly before a late combination from Ewell.
Marlon Vera focused on his kicks in the second round, landing to the legs to slow the advance of Ewell. Vera nearly landed a knee to the head of a ducking Ewell, then pursued with a spinning back kick. Vera was finding a lot more success after honing in on his kicking game. Ewell landed a slapping left hand, but Vera kept moving forward. He ate a hard shot on the way in and went for the standing head and arm choke once again. This time Ewell slipped out, but soon after he was popped by a heavy combination and a big knee, but still was able to fire back. One more combination for Vera landed before time expired.
Vera landed a heavy hook to start the final round and had Ewell back against the cage. Vera got a hold of him and landed several knees to the head, but Ewell survived again. The leg kicks from Vera were beginning to add up, and Ewell couldn’t get away from the fence. Vera was just punishing Ewell. Heavy straight punches were connecting for the Ecuadorian and he was able to knock Ewell down. Vera fell on top and drilled him with elbows before the fight was called off.
5️⃣ straight wins, 5️⃣ straight finishes! @ChitoVeraUFC gets it done in round 3! #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/Z597ntwp0r
— UFC (@ufc) October 12, 2019
Marlon Vera def. Andre Ewell by TKO (Punches) in Round 3 (3:17)
