"Can grapple off his back" - Aljamain Sterling explains why possible future opponent Marlon 'Chito' Vera "would be a hell of a fight"
UFC bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling has weighed in on Marlon Vera as a possible future opponent.
A Twitter user recently suggested that the bantamweight champion fight 'Chito'. Sterling responded to the tweet and said Vera could prove to be an exciting matchup due to his grappling prowess on the ground as well as against the cage:
"Cheetos would be a hell of a fight I think. Guy can grapple off his back and against the cage well."
Cheetos would be a hell of a fight I think. Guy can grapple off his back and against the cage well. twitter.com/pyeinthesky1/s…
Vera is currently on an amazing run in the UFC. The Ecuadorian has won his last four fights. What makes this run even more impressive is that he has won a bonus for each of those four performances.
The 29-year-old fought Davey Grant in June 2021 and won via unanimous decision. The contest was declared the Fight of the Night (FOTN).
Vera then went on to score an instant classic front-kick knockout against Frankie Edgar at UFC 268. He received a Performance of the Night (POTN) bonus worth $50,000 for his efforts.
'Chito' then took on Rob Font, whom he outclassed for the majority of the 25-minute fight. They both took home FOTN honors.
In his last outing, Marlon Vera went toe-to-toe with Dominick Cruz and knocked the former champion out with a head kick in the fourth round. Vera took home a POTN check of $50,000.
Aljamain Sterling sheds light on his relationship with Marlon Vera
Things used to be cordial between Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Vera. According to Sterling, that changed after 'Funk Master' gave his thoughts on Vera's fight against Sean O'Malley.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Aljamain Sterling said things went sour between him and the Ecuadorian after he implied that 'Chito's' victory against O'Malley might have been a fluke:
"We were kind of cordial and cool before this whole weird thing happened between us because someone asked me about the O'Malley fight and I said it was a weird thing, but 'Chito' threw the kick and I said he won. I was like, it was a fluky thing that happened in terms of the reaction, but 'Chito' won. He took that as disrespect and the guy started going off on me, he was b*tthurt."
Catch the full episode of The MMA Hour below:
O'Malley and Vera faced off in a bantamweight scrap at UFC 252. After hurting 'Sugar's' leg with kicks, 'Chito' went on to secure a TKO victory in the opening round of the fight.