Marlon Vera Batters, Bloodies Rob Font in UFC on ESPN 35 Headliner

Marlon Vera simply had too many weapons in his arsenal for Rob Font.

Making the most of his first headlining appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vera battered and bloodied the visage of his opponent en route to an impressive unanimous decision triumph at UFC on ESPN 35 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges had the fight in favor of Vera: 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46.

Font, who missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday, was in a rhythm from the outset, as he worked behind a stellar jab, straight punching combinations and uppercuts through the guard of his adversary. While Font (19-6, 9-5 UFC) landed in superior volume throughout, Vera (19-7-1, 13-6 UFC) connected with the strikes of consequence.

Vera began to assert himself late in Round 2, when he floored Font with a left hook and dropped elbows from above until the horn sounded. It would be a recurring theme for the rest of the fight. Vera dropped Font with a knee in the third round, a hook kick to the face in the fourth and again with a hook kick to the head in Round 5 for good measure. While Font continued to land in volume until the final bell, Vera’s multi-faceted offense, which included kicks to all levels, knees, elbows and punches, was simply too much. While Font was barely recognizable at fight’s end, Vera barely wore the damage from a five-round bout.

Vera has won three straight in UFC competition, while Font has dropped back-to-back fights for the first time in his pro career.

Arlovski Edges Collier

Andrei Arlovski keeps finding ways to win.

The former heavyweight champion eked out a contentious split-decision triumph against Jake Collier in Saturday’s co-main event — his fourth consecutive victory within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Mike Bell saw the fight 30-27 for Collier, while Douglas Crosby and Sal D’Amato submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of Arlovski.

Collier was often at his best when he could make the fight ugly by punching his way into the clinch, while Arlovski (34-20, 23-14, 1 NC UFC) enjoyed success answering with quick combinations. The last two rounds were almost too close to call and featured numerous accidental clashes of heads as the combatants traded willingly in the pocket. Ultimately, it was likely Arlovski’s cleaner technique and movement that held sway with the judges. A disappointed Collier (13-7, 5-6 UFC) left the cage in disgust after the verdict was announced.

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Brito Clobbers Fili

Joanderson Brito earned an emphatic victory against Team Alpha Male veteran Andre Fili, winning via technical knockout in a featherweight encounter. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum brought an abrupt end to the bout just 41 seconds into Round 1, winning for the 11th time in his last 12 professional outings.

Brito (13-3-1, 1-1 UFC) didn’t give Fili (21-9, 9-8, 1 NC UFC) much time to get settled. He tagged his foe with a pair of stiff left jabs before dropping him with a massive overhand right to the chin. Brito then teed off with approximately 10 unanswered hammerfists on the canvas before referee Herb Dean stepped to wave off the bout. Fili suffered his first KO/TKO defeat since April 23, 2016.

Dawson Scores Late Tapout of Gordon

Jared Gordon knew what was coming from Grant Dawson. He just couldn’t stop it enough to make a difference.

Dawson (18-1-1, 6-0-1 UFC) landed multiple takedowns and took Gordon’s back repeatedly before securing a late submission victory in a featured lightweight tilt. The American Top Team representative forced his adversary to tap to a rear-naked choke at the 4:11 mark of Round 3, bringing Gordon’s three-bout winning streak to an end.

While Gordon (18-5, 6- 4 UFC) enjoyed success landing punching combinations to the head, Dawson’s timing on takedowns — particularly in grabbing a single-leg — was impeccable. He spent significant periods of the fight in back control with a body triangle secured, either landing punches to the head or hunting for chokes. Dawson also did solid work on the feet in Round 3, landing jabs, kicks, knees and a standing elbow that busted Gordon open. “KGD” put a lasting stamp on the fight by turning the corner for one last takedown in Round 3, quickly taking Gordon’s back, sinking the choke and eliciting the tap. Gordon, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, had never been submitted in MMA competition.

Elkins Takes Grueling Battle Against Connelly

Darren Elkins dragged Tristan Connelly into his type of fight and emerged with a unanimous decision triumph in a grueling, bloody featherweight scrap. Elkins (27-10, 17-9 UFC), who owns the most appearances in UFC 145-pound history with 24, earned a trio of 30-27 tallies from the cageside judges. “The Damage” has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances.

Elkins was in vintage form. He pressured forward with punches, shoved Connelly (14-8, 1-2 UFC) into the cage and landed multiple takedowns. On the canvas, Elkins took his foe’s back repeatedly, landing short shots to the head and threatening with chokes. To his credit, Connelly stayed in the fight and battled Elkins at range and in the clinch, notably landing several hard standing elbows in close quarters. It wasn’t enough, as Elkins concluded the action attached to Connelly’s back with a body triangle in place, hammering away and nearly sinking in a rear-naked choke.

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Jotko Outpoints Meerschaert

Crisp striking, takedowns and deft scrambling ability carried American Top Team export Krzysztof Jotko to a unanimous decision victory over Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight feature. The 32-year-old Pole received a trio of 30-27 tallies from the cageside judges for his fifth win in his last six promotional outings. Meerschaert, meanwhile, saw a three-fight submission streak come to an end.

Jotko (24-5, 11-5 UFC) was quicker to the punch in the early going, as he repeatedly tagged a plodding Meerschaert (34-15, 9-7 UFC) with a right hook-straight left combination before angling out of danger. When Meerschaert did gain entry into the clinch, Jotko more than held his own while denying his opponent’s attempts to drag the action to the canvas.

As the bout progressed, it was Jotko who landed multiple takedowns, and he was able to either defend Meerschaert’s submissions or scramble to a more advantageous position when the action was on the canvas. To his credit, Meerschaert never stopped forcing the issue, but he never truly threatened his opponent, either.

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