After falling short in his first attempt to capture UFC gold, Marlon Vera looks to bounce back against a former world titleholder.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Vera is targeted to face former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Abu Dhabi, which takes place Aug. 3. Verbal agreements are in place for the pivotal 135-pound matchup. Ag. Fight was first to report the pairing.
Currently, both fighters are tied for the No. 10 spot at 135 pounds in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings.
In his most recent appearance, Vera dropped a unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 299 in March. Prior to that, “Chito” picked up a decision victory over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292 to earn his opportunity to fight for UFC gold. He still remains the only man to defeat O’Malley in the octagon.
Figueiredo, a two-time UFC flyweight champ, has looked sensational since making the move up to 135 pounds, earning a dominant decision win over Rob Font at UFC Austin this past December, then submitting former 135-pound champ Cody Garbrandt in the second round at April’s memorable UFC 300 event.
UFC Abu Dhabi features Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event.
Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.
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