After chasing the fight for the better part of a year, Marlon “Chito” Vera finally got a chance to throw down with ex-champ Dominick Cruz on Saturday.
Vera had actually passed the former bantamweight king in the rankings on the way up, and had hounded him in interviews and even at the UFC PI when they crossed paths. Their date finally arrived on Saturday, at a UFC San Diego card stacked with local talent — including Cruz himself.
Cruz, busier in recent years as an analyst than as a fighter, entered the bout off a pair of wins against Casey Kenny and Pedro Munhoz. Vera, meanwhile, had three consecutive wins over Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar, and Rob Font. Against Cruz, he was looking to notch a win over another former champion — and frankly to break into the title picture, currently tied up with Aljamain Sterling booked opposite TJ Dillashaw, and the winner of Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley waiting in the wings.
In the co-main event of UFC San Diego, explosive featherweights Nate Landwehr and David Onama threw down.
Following the event, tune in for the UFC San Diego post-fight press conference. A live stream is available in the embed above.
