"I want to get in there and just drill a hole to his face..." - Marlon Vera on how he plans to beat Aljamain Sterling

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Marlon Vera (left) and Aljamain Sterling (right) [Image credits: @chitoveraufc and @funkmastermma via Instagram]

Marlon Vera is coming off one of the biggest wins of his career after knocking out Dominick Cruz last weekend. The impressive Ecuadorian bantamweight may be closer to a title shot than his No.5 ranking suggests.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Vera spoke about what the future holds for him following his win at UFC San Diego. When asked about his thoughts on a matchup against bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Vera had this to say:

“You know I feel like we both are closest to same size. I would say he’s a little bigger than me but in that range, we’re going to scrap. I think we can grapple. I really think that I’m the best in the world right now, so from now on anybody in front of me, I’m going to just beat them and not because I wish it happens, because I work hard.”

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‘Chito’ is certainly confident in his ability to take on anyone. Vera explained that he wants to engage Sterling in a brutal fight:

“I don’t want to get in there and hold him in a position. I want to get in there and just drill a hole to his face, and he’s the guy with the belt right now, so that’s the guy you want.”

Check out the complete Vera interview below:

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Marlon Vera revisits his knockout win over Dominick Cruz, admits the veteran's a “hard guy to fight”

Marlon Vera defeated former two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in San Diego on August 13. Following his knockout win, the 29-year-old Ecuadorian appeared in an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, where he revisited his fight against 'The Dominator'.

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While speaking with Helwani, ‘Chito’ took the MMA journalist through the intense scrap and praised the highly regarded UFC veteran for a gritty fight:

"I just keep coming, I just keep trying to find him because he moves a lot. Hard guy to fight. He's not an easy guy to fight."

Check out the complete MMA Hour episode below:

It is interesting to note that despite Marlon Vera claiming a comprehensive knockout in the fourth round of the fight, it was Cruz who had been winning on the scorecards.

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