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Bantamweight Marlon 'Chito' Vera has his eyes firmly on those above him in the rankings.
Now the No.5-ranked contender after an impressive unanimous decision victory over Rob Font, the Ecuadorian star has confirmed his interest in fighting former champion Petr Yan after he was called out by the Russian.
'Chito', who is on a three-fight winning streak, is confident that any future opponents will be with those above him on the 135-pound ladder. In a division stacked with former champions, the Ecuadorian has expressed his interest in fighting them all.
On a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, Vera was asked about his recent comments on Ariel Helwani's show, during which he revealed who he'd like to fight next.
The Ecuadorian responded with:
"In a perfect world, I'd love to kick Aldo's a**. I would love to stop him. I would love to just know to have 10 extra minutes. Now try to hold me for one round. That's either here nor there... If I could choose right now, that's the fight I'd choose."
UFC legend Jose Aldo has a win over 'Chito'. The two men faced off in 2020, with the Brazilian walking away with a unanimous decision victory.
The Brazilian isn't the only man on Vera's list. 'Chito' went on to reiterate his desire to face Cruz, as well as adding Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo to the mix:
"Cruz is a former champion and he'd probably make me move up the ladder... I'm here to take it to the top five. If you want it, come get it. If you don't want it, I can't force you. Who knows man. Petr Yan called me out, he can get it to. Henry Cejudo also said something about it. Now I'm in the top five, I'm not a guy desperate for a fight. The good fights will come."
Watch the full episode of Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast below:
Petr Yan sends a message to Marlon Vera
Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan sent a message congratulating Vera on his latest performance in the octagon. The post also teased a potential matchup between the two.
On Twitter, the Russian said:
"Not a bad performance tonight @chitoveraUFC We may share the octagon one day"
No Mercy' will certainly be looking to get back to winning ways inside the cage. After losing his belt to 'Funk Master' via an illegal knee disqualification last March, the Russian was unsuccessful in his attempt to recapture the belt at UFC 273. A split decision win for Sterling handed Yan his second loss in the UFC.
'Chito's new ranking means a fight between the two men is certainly not impossible. Despite his interest in a rematch with Jose Aldo or former champion Dominick Cruz, the Ecuadorian admitted that he's more than willing to to accept a challenge from Petr Yan.
