Marlon Vera plans time off to ‘reset’ after Abu Dhabi loss; will stop quick turnarounds

Deiveson Figueiredo plans to line up a title shot, while Marlon Vera plans and extended layoff after UFC on ABC 7 loss.

Marlon Vera plans time off to ‘reset’ after Abu Dhabi loss; will stop quick turnarounds

Marlon Vera plans more extensive rebound after battle with Deiveson Figueiredo (Source: IMAGO/X)

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera can’t help wondering if he made a mistake fighting Deiveson Figueiredo. Now 3-0 at the 135-pound mark, Figgy is gunning for the gold. Meanwhile, Vera just got back from challenging the gold. Should he have rested more and had an extensive camp? The fighter thinks so after his UFC on ABC 7 loss.

The MMA community was surprised when ‘Chito’ made a quick five-month turnaround from his title loss. He suffered a violently hard-hitting unanimous decision loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 299. Now, Figueiredo outpointed Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27). As such, Vera issued a statement on social media addressing his loss after going 2-3 in his last five.

I fail at myself last nite. I thought I was ready I felt good in the gym but at the end maybe I come back too quick after a hard tittle fight. Life doesn’t end here I still dream about big things I just need time to let go and reset. Gracias Abu Dhabi por el cariño a mi familia por estar siempre a mi lado y Ecuador gracias siempre me levantaré como lo he hecho en el pasado. Shukrahn Abu Dhabi ❤️ I’ll be back re born
Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera via Instagram (@chitoveraufc)
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Vera took a lot of damage in his last title contest at the March pay-per-view. Only the Ecuadorian star knows how much healing he needs. During his pre-fight check-in interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Chito said he was fully recovered. More to it, he had plans to show Figueiredo that 135s are at a different level than flyweights. However, the switch-stance Ecuadorian struggled against Figgy.

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Vera faced a knockdown for the first time in his 24-fight UFC career against Figueiredo. Vera, 31, is now on his first two-fight losing skid since 2018; he intends to take a more extended layoff. While ‘God of War’ himself is aiming for gold, there’s no saying if the hard reset will push him to a title shot any soon again. Arguably, this was a testament to Figgy’s power more than Vera’s durability.

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UFC on ABC 7 Post-fight facts: Deiveson Figueiredo poised for two-division title dip?

Undispud gold is the endgame and zenith of glory for most. But there’s no writing in stone that this is where a fighter had to stop. Deiveson Figueiredo could join the rare club of dual-division champions and be the tenth to do so in UFC competition history. Conor McGregor remains the only simultaneous champ, while Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira made it the quickest.

Deiveson Figueiredo proves he is top of the heap at UFC on ABC 7
Deiveson Figueiredo proves he is top of the heap at UFC on ABC 7 (Source: latimes.com/X/heavy.com)

Figgy can have the most reigns again if he snags gold. His dominant showing against the most recent title challenger in the weight class, Marlon Vera, was something else. Alexandre Pantoja remains the berserker of the flyweight division. Meanwhile, ‘Chito’ is one of the most hard-chinned combatants at bantamweight. Even O’Malley couldn’t kick him out, but Figgy wobbled both him and Pantoja.

Figueiredo (24-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) is 3-0 since he moved up in December 2023. Saturday’s UFC on ABC 7 at Etihad Arena proved how hungry he is to outclass the competition. Figgy already made the fastest title-fight turnaround in UFC history at 21 days at UFC 255 and UFC 256. To amp up the stakes, this might happen again.

Figueiredo’s ten victories in UFC flyweight competition are the fourth-most in divisional history. Figueiredo’s 11 knockdowns and seven stoppages remain a divisional record. He had multiple reigns during his previous term as titleholder during his quadrilogy with Brandon Moreno. A build-up with ‘Suga’ might see him do that yet again. However, O’Malley will have his plate full with other challengers.

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