The 29-year-old Vera is already a terrific story of development and determination, as he’s spent the last seven-plus years transforming from an aggressive, but raw, prospect into a bona fide Top 15 talent in the bantamweight division. Since beginning his UFC adventure with four wins and four losses in his first eight appearances, “Chito” has gone 8-2 since, ascending into the rankings in the ultra-competitive bantamweight ranks.
Preview Every Fight On UFC Fight Night: Font vs Vera
He arrives at his first main event assignment having earned consecutive victories in 2021. In June, he avenged a previous defeat to Davey Grant with a unanimous decision triumph in a clear, but competitive, bout that earned Fight of the Night honors, and in November, Vera marched into Madison Square Garden and collected a third-round knockout win over future Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar at UFC 268.
Now he lines up across from Font, who has been a fixture in the Top 15 for a number of years, in a critical matchup with the potential to carry him into title contention.
Despite going the distance with Grant last year, Vera is a finisher, having earned 10 of his 12 UFC victories inside the distance. While that aggressiveness has cost him at times, Vera has mostly reined in his wildness and exuberance in recent years, trusting his weapons and knowing that his sustained pressure and variety of attacks will eventually present a finishing opportunity.
Font is a tough out, having posted a 9-4 record through 13 UFC starts, including wins over Sergio Pettis, Marlon Moraes, and Cody Garbrandt. He’s only lost to elite competitors over the years, and he works behind one of the best jabs in the business, which means Vera will need to be smart with his movements and sharp defensively if he doesn’t want to spend the night getting his head snapped back by Font’s piston-like left.
But the popular ascending talent from Ecuador has the skills to win this fight on Saturday, and if he does, it will elevate Vera into the elite tier in the 135-pound weight class. He’d still have more work to do before potentially challenging for championship gold, but he’d be one big step closer to making such a bout happen.
