Ecuadorian Marlon Vera achieved the biggest win of his career and he did it against a renowned fighter by knocking out former champion Dominick Cruz in the main event of UFC on ESPN 41 this Saturday at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Vera (20-7-1) won a four-round knockout of Cruz (24-4), earning his 10th victory in his last 12 fights and notching his second victory over a former champion having also defeated Frankie Edgar earlier in his race. The knockout win marked his 10th win in the bantamweight division and he became the first fighter at that weight to reach 10 fast-track wins.
Cruz complicated the fight with his good boxing, kicks and takedowns against Vera, who is usually slow to pick up the pace in his fights. The former champion appeared to win the first two rounds, but then Vera dropped Cruz in the third round. The South American fighter grabbed a good moment after he backed Cruz and landed a blow to the head. “Chito” finished with punches and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight at 2:17.
During the interview after the duel, Vera explained that his trainer, Jason Parillo, had instructed him to “throw power shots after his attacks and he would find his opponent.”
Marlon Vera just kicked Dominick Cruz into Sunday #UFC
https://t.co/UHZ7iGkVMP— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) August 14, 2022
That was exactly what happened. Cruz tried to evade the Ecuadorian’s right hand and Vera connected with a tremendous blow to the head.