Marlon Vera hopes to finally lock horns with Petr Yan at the end of the year.
Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) is coming off a one-sided loss to bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 in March. On the same night, Yan snapped his three-fight losing skid by outlasting Song Yadong.
“Chito” is targeting former champion Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) next – a fight he sees helping him regain his title contender status.
“In a perfect world, I want to fight November, Madison Square Garden, and I would like to fight Petr Yan,” Vera said in an interview with Cameron Hanes. “I think that’s a no-brainer for the fans, for the UFC, and right there you have a former champ against a title challenger. The winner can sit right there waiting for the title shot. It’s a fight that we will fight our asses off because this is a big one. There’s a lot at stake.”
According to Vera, Yan declined to fight him twice in the past.
“He declined before,” Vera said. “We saw each other at my last fight because he fought too, and he’s like, ‘Hey, I want you next.’ I said, ‘What you talking about, you declined twice. Don’t be acting tough right now.’ He’s like, ‘No, it wasn’t a good time for me.'”
Yan responded, sending Vera a stern warning.
Let’s be honest, if we had fought earlier, you would never have made it to the title fight. Everything has its time, and the time for your whooping is coming soon @chitoveraUFC 🔜 https://t.co/j7saMO2Cs2
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) April 25, 2024
Keep lying to yourself that someone can refuse to fight a walking punching bag #easymoney https://t.co/jKJNMgRwKD
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) April 25, 2024
