Marlon Vera came up short in the UFC on ESPN 43 main event, but appears to be taking the loss in stride.
Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) lost to Cory Sandhagen in a key bantamweight bout at AT&T Center in San Antonio. Although the official result was somehow a split decision, the bout was a masterful performance by Sandhagen (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC), who now finds himself hunting for No. 1 contender status.
“Chito” isn’t taking the loss too hard, though, and vows to get right back on track after his four-fight win streak was halted Saturday evening.
“Lil bump in the road, it’s only over if I decide it,” Vera wrote on Instagram. “And we far from that. Be back soon.”
During his post-fight interview in the cage, Vera made no excuses for his performance while giving Sandhagen props.
“I was as ready as I can get, I was feeling good during training, and I just couldn’t get it started,” Vera told Michael Bisping. “This one is on me. No excuses.”
Vera entered as a winner of his four previous bouts, which included stoppages of former champions Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar. Unanimous decision wins over Davey Grant and Rob Font were also a part of Vera’s best stretch since a five-fight winning streak from 2018-19.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.
