The UFC is returning to Mexico on February 28th and today we learned that a big time bantamweight matchup has been finalized for the card. Eurosport NL was the first to report that former title challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera (23-11-1) will be taking on rising contender David Martinez (13-1).
This is a massive opportunity for the 27-year-old Martinez. After earning a contract on The Contender Series at the end of 2024, Martinez fought twice last year and went 2-0 inside the octagon. In his last fight, he defeated Rob Font at Noche UFC which put him into the rankings at tenth and now he’ll look to continue climbing against Chito Vera.
Chito Vera needs a win in the worst way next month. He’s still ranked eighth in the division, but he’s lost three fights in a row leading up to UFC Mexico. The last time we saw him was in October where he lost a split decision to Aiemann Zahabi.
After having a 5-1 stretch to earn a title shot, Vera is now just 1-4 in his last five fights. He’s only lost to really solid competition but he really needs to get a win if he wants to be taken seriously at 135.
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