Marlon Vera zeroed in on the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division years ago. Now, another all-time great stands in his way.
“The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist will test his mettle against former UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting champion Dominick Cruz in the UFC on ESPN 41 headliner this Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Vera rides a three-fight winning streak into the Octagon. He last fought at UFC on ESPN 35, where he outpointed Rob Font to a unanimous decision in their five-round April 30 main event. Cruz, meanwhile, has rattled off back-to-back victories. The Alliance MMA cornerstone last competed on Dec. 11, when he was awarded a unanimous verdict over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269.
As Vera and Cruz approach their high-stakes showdown at 135 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
29: Years of age for Vera, who was born in Chone, Ecuador, on Dec. 2, 1992.
8: Vera wins by submission, accounting for 42% of his career total (19). His methods of choice: three rear-naked chokes, two triangle chokes, one heel hook, one triangle armbar and one armbar. Vera holds seven other wins by knockout or technical knockout (37%) and four more by decision (21%).
85: Seconds needed for Vera to cut down former King of the Cage champion Frankie Saenz with punches at UFC Fight Night 148 on March 23, 2019. More than three years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
350,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Vera across his 19 appearances in the UFC. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” on four occasions and “Fight of the Night” on three others.
179: Combined victories between the seven opponents—Jose Aldo, Yadong Song, Douglas Silva de Andrade, John Lineker, Davey Grant, Marco Beltran and Bruno Leandro Soares Lobato—who have beaten Vera. They boast a cumulative .719 winning percentage (179-67-3).
36: Years of age for Cruz, who was born on Sept. 3, 1985 in San Diego.
7: Cruz victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 29% of his career total (24). Takeya Mizugaki and Brian Bowles highlight his list of victims. Cruz owns one other victory by submission—he dispatched Juan Miranda with a rear-naked choke at a Total Combat show in 2006—and 16 more by decision.
26: Takedowns recorded by Cruz as a UFC bantamweight, tying him with archrival Urijah Faber for sixth on the promotion’s all-time list at 135 pounds. Only Merab Dvalishvili (50), Ricky Simon (37), Brett Johns (29), Rani Yahya (28) and Tony Gravely (28) have been credited with more.
69: Rounds completed by Cruz as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 17 different occasions and carries a 16-1 record in those bouts.
.778: Cumulative winning percentage between the three opponents—Faber, Henry Cejudo and Cody Garbrandt—who have defeated Cruz. They sport a combined record of 63-18.
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