"I want to get in there and just drill a hole to his face..." - Marlon Vera on how he plans to beat Aljamain Sterling

Marlon Vera is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career after knocking out Dominick Cruz last weekend. The impressive Ecuadorian bantamweight may be closer to a title shot than his No.5 ranking suggests.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Vera spoke about what the future holds for him following his win at UFC San Diego. When asked about his thoughts on a matchup against bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Vera had this to say:

“You know I feel like we both are closest to same size. I would say he’s a little bigger than me but in that range, we’re going to scrap. I think we can grapple. I really think that I’m the best in the world right now, so from now on anybody in front of me, I’m going to just beat them and not because I wish it happens, because I work hard.”

‘Chito’ is certainly confident in his ability to take on anyone. Vera explained that he wants to engage Sterling in a brutal fight:

“I don’t want to get in there and hold him in a position. I want to get in there and just drill a hole to his face, and he’s the guy with the belt right now, so that’s the guy you want.”

Check out the complete Vera interview below:

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Marlon Vera revisits his knockout win over Dominick Cruz, admits the veteran's a “hard guy to fight”

Marlon Vera defeated former two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in San Diego on August 13. Following his knockout win, the 29-year-old Ecuadorian appeared in an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, where he revisited his fight against 'The Dominator'.

While speaking with Helwani, ‘Chito’ took the MMA journalist through the intense scrap and praised the highly regarded UFC veteran for a gritty fight:

"I just keep coming, I just keep trying to find him because he moves a lot. Hard guy to fight. He's not an easy guy to fight."

Check out the complete MMA Hour episode below:

It is interesting to note that despite Marlon Vera claiming a comprehensive knockout in the fourth round of the fight, it was Cruz who had been winning on the scorecards.