Chito Vera may get his wish, and find himself in a fight with bantamweight legend Dominick Cruz after all.
Vera (19-7-1) has called out Cruz repeatedly over the past year or so, with Cruz (24-3) dismissing the match-up back when Vera was lower down in the rankings. But with Vera having leapfrogged the former champ in the UFC’s bantamweight rankings, Cruz has been singing a different tune of late.
Now, the pair are being targeted for a match-up on August 13. ESPN Deportes was first to report news of the impending booking, with Vera having a bit of fun and confirming he had verbally agreed to the match-up, “per sources.”
UFC President Dana White also confirmed to Barstool Sports that the fight is in the works for August 13, with San Diego being the anticipated location.
Ecuador’s Marlon “Chito” Vera has been on a tear, winning three straight fights and four of his last five. With his lone loss in that stretch coming to Jose Aldo, Vera has gotten past Sean O’Malley, Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar, and most recently, Rob Font. That impressive streak has landed him in the #5 spot in the UFC’s 135 pound weight class.
Cruz won both his fights in 2021, picking up victories against Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz. Since then, Cruz has been seen on several UFC broadcasts, continuing his work as an analyst — but he has yet to step into the cage in 2022.
That may soon change. The bout, if it comes to fruition, is expected to headline the UFC’s August 13, 2022 Fight Night event. Thus far, the following fights have been reported for the card:
- Dominick Cruz vs. Marlon Vera
- Istela Nunes vs. Yazmin Jauregui
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bruno Silva
- Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Sara McMann vs. Aspen Ladd
- Martin Buday vs. Łukasz Brzeski
- Viviane Araújo vs. Alexa Grasso
