Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 53, we will see a battle between two top ten bantamweights. Top contenders Marlon “Chito” Vera (20-7-1) and Rob Font (19-5) will battle it out as they both try to get themselves into the title picture at 135 pounds.
Chito Vera is looking for his third straight win tomorrow night. The last time we saw him was at UFC 268 in November when he took on former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. The fight was very close and Edgar might have been ahead on the scorecards.
However, Chito came on strong in the third round and won by knockout with a beautiful yet devastating front kick. Prior to that win, he had picked up a big decision win over Davey Grant which avenged a loss from earlier in his career.
While he enters on a winning streak, Rob Font will look to bounce back. The last time we saw Font was in December against former UFC champion Jose Aldo. Font entered that fight on a four-fight winning streak.
In reality, Font looked really good against Aldo. He actually out-landed the former champion in total strikes. However, Aldo’s big shots and power was simply too much and the big moments led to a lopsided decision win for Aldo.
UFC Vegas 53 Prediction
For the first time in his UFC career, Marlon Vera is going to be in a main event. To be honest, a five round fight is probably best for him considering how slow of a starter he typically is. We saw that in his last fight against Frankie Edgar.
Typically, Vera is very slow to start before picking up as the fight goes on. The slow start could really hurt him at UFC Vegas 53. Font normally is a fast starter and really has the crisp boxing skills to completely throw off Chito Vera.
Vera is very hittable despite being such a good striker. Early on in this fight, I think Font is going to pull away. With using his crisp boxing and controlling range, the first half of the fight is going to belong to Font.
That said, I’m a big fan of Chito Vera and he will make a push. In the middle rounds, look for him to mix in leg kicks with some potential takedown attempts. He will win rounds, but will it be enough at UFC Vegas 53?
I personally don’t think so. Really like Rob Font in this matchup with his volume striking and crisp boxing. I think he’ll do enough to bag at least three rounds and walk away with a decision victory over Chito Vera.
Prediction: Rob Font by Decision