The UFC is in the process of finalizing a fun bantamweight matchup for June. MMA DNA was the first to report last night that the promotion was close to finalizing a matchup between Marlon “Chito” Vera (16-7-1) and Davey Grant (13-4).
The matchup will take place at UFC Fight Night on June 19th. This fight is actually a rematch from their first fight that happened in 2016. That was Davey Grant’s second fight in the UFC and it took place in his homeland of England.
That night, Davey Grant was able to pickup the decision win. Grant was introduced to the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter. He made the finale during his season back in 2013 but came up short.
He didn’t have his second octagon appearance for more than two years after that. After he defeated Chito Vera, he lost back-to-back fights. However, as of late, Davey Grant has looked better than ever.
Heading into this UFC Fight Night on June 19th, Grant will be riding a three-fight win streak. His last two performances have been sensational where he has knockout wins over Martin Day and Jonathan Martinez.
UFC Return for Chito
2020 was a very interesting year for Chito Vera in the UFC. Entering the year, he had won five fights in a row which had the bantamweight division on notice. Chito looked like he was well on his way to being a title contender.
He started his 2020 by taking on Song Yadong. Song won the decision, but many people believe that Chito won that fight. After that, Vera was tasked with taking on “Suga” Sean O’Malley at UFC 252.
Vera used his calf kicks to stop the hype of the Suga Show and get the biggest win of his UFC career. After that win, the promotion gave him the biggest fight of his career. Vera took on former UFC champion Jose Aldo in December.
Vera showed heart in that matchup but was ultimately outclassed by Aldo in two of the rounds. Chito is 1-2 in his last three, but he’s still one of the bright prospects in the UFC’s bantamweight division. This should be a great matchup and with the previous history, should be a fun buildup.