Getty Marlon Vera looks on against Frankie Edgar in their bantaweight bout during UFC 268.
UFC top contender Petr Yan allegedly declined a fight with Marlon “Chito” Vera in August because he was busy eating pizzas in Italy.
Coming off one of the most highly anticipated rematches, former UFC interim bantamweight champion Yan came up short against the current 135 lb king Aljamain Sterling in April at UFC 273. Sterling’s grappling abilities from the back proved to be too much for Yan, who was the betting favorite going into the bout.
After racking up an impressive three-fight win streak against fellow top contenders, Vera called for a shot at the former title holder. Yan is still ranked number one in the division and a win over him will likely get “Chito” the title shot he’s been looking for.
On April 30, Yan responded to Vera in a tweet, writing: “Not a bad performance tonight @chitoveraUFC We may share the octagon one day.”
Not a bad performance tonight @chitoveraUFC We may share the octagon one day 👊🏼
Following the exchange, a clash between the two appeared to be in the works for a UFC event in Boston, Massachusetts. Vera wanted to fight Yan this month but instead, will be taking on former two-time UFC champion Dominick Cruz, another contender he had called out along.
In an appearance on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, “Chito” alleged that the bout with Yan did not happen as he was too busy eating pizzas in Italy.
“Petr Yan, that fat c—t, declined the fight because he was eating pizza in Italy,” Vera said (ht MMA Mania). “And he said, ‘Oh, I don’t have time to make weight, I don’t have time to prepare.’ If I’m that easy money, why don’t you say, ‘F—k it, I’ll finish my slice and kick your ass’?
“But, he declined the fight, he said he wants to fight in November, October, so I was like, you ain’t that cool to wait for you, buddy,” he continued. “I want options, I wanna fight, I wanna make money. Come on, let’s go. They (UFC) went, ‘Well, he declined, now we move. Do you wanna fight Dominick Cruz?’ I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’ Why am I gonna lie? That’s not trash talking, that’s not beef between me and the Russian fat guy. He just didn’t have the time. He was on a little trip in Europe, good for him, dude.”
Vera vs. Cruz Will Headline UFC San Diego
Vera will take on Cruz in the headlining bout of UFC on ESPN 41 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Cruz had three main demands before confirming his return to action after beating Pedro Munhoz in Dec. 2021. The chief among them was the need to hold a higher ranking, which Vera now does.
A dominant win over Rob Font in his first main event at UFC on ESPN 35 bumped Vera up to the top five in the list of ranked bantamweight contenders. He scored three knockdowns on his way to a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards. Font was battered and bruised up in the fight but persevered to go the full distance.
Vera Talked About Yan Fighting Sean O’Malley at UFC 280
Yan turned down Vera in favor of getting more time off and to much surprise got booked in a bout against rising prospect Sean O’Malley. They are set to meet inside the octagon at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 at Ehitad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Vera talked about the upcoming matchup.
“It’s a perfect fight,” he said (Sportskeeda). “He [O’Malley] already have insurance plan. He’s already telling, ‘If I lose, I’m losing to the number one guy [Yan].’ So you already go with an insurance plan. And then it’s fighting, dude, you can line up [a] big punch, things can change. Who [the] f*** knows?”