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Marlon Vera has sounded off on Aljamain Sterling, besides also weighing in on the latter’s rematch with Petr Yan. Sterling beat Yan via DQ (Disqualification) to win the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 259 in March 2021. Their rematch transpired at UFC 273 this April, which Sterling won via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47).
One of the judges awarded Yan 10-9 scores for rounds one, four, and five, whilst giving Sterling 10-9 scores for rounds two and three. The other two judges gave Yan 10-9 scores for rounds four and five, whilst giving Sterling 10-9 scores for rounds one, two, and three.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Marlon Vera notably addressed Sterling being upset with him and Helwani due to a past interview. 'Chito' indicated that he wasn’t speaking ill of Sterling in a personal setting but had simply engaged in the usual fighter trash talk in his interview with Helwani. Vera stated:
“If you’re like, ‘Oh, I think you said that about me.’ How old are you, motherf****r? Do you have hair in your f**king ba**s? Act like a f**king man. If I say something about you, and you laugh, don’t get mad. This is a f**king interview.”
Discussing the Sterling-Yan rematch, Vera said:
“What I think about the fight? Easy. Two and two, right? Two and three for Sterling for the back-taking and control; very well done, almost finished him, was trying, was punching, was active on the good position. Four and five, Yan came back, defended the takedown, kind of like, kicked his a**. Everything goes back to that round one.”
Vera insinuated that Yan could’ve been awarded round one due to pressure he put on Sterling. Nevertheless, Vera highlighted that Sterling could’ve been given a score of 10-8 in rounds two and three, as he had Yan’s back for lengthy periods of time and almost finished him on the ground. Vera ultimately opined that the fight could’ve been scored either way.
Watch Marlon Vera’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:
Marlon Vera’s road to a potential UFC bantamweight title shot
The No.8-ranked UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera craftily beat the No.5-ranked Rob Font via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera on April 30. Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling is coming off a split decision win over arch-rival Petr Yan.
Sterling has been lobbying for a fight against former divisional kingpin T.J. Dillashaw next. Furthermore, Vera is likely one win away from a title shot. ‘Chito’ is angling for a fight against the No.3-ranked Jose Aldo next, a win over whom could surely earn him a shot at Sterling or whoever holds the belt in late-2022 or early-2023.
