Marlon Vera Targets Jose Aldo Rematch: ‘I Would Finish Him, I Can Guarantee You That’

The first time Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo squared off, it didn’t go Vera’s way.

Aldo defeated Vera via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 183 in December 2020. While Vera enjoyed success with leg kicks and knees in close quarters, Aldo punctuated his victory with a takedown and back control in the third round. With three straight victories under his belt since then, Vera wouldn’t mind crossing paths with Aldo in the Octagon again.

“I would love to fight Aldo again, especially in a five-rounder especially since he declined a five-rounder when we fought last December (2020),” Vera said on Saturday. “I would love to kick his ass. If we get to match again I would finish him, I can guarantee you that.”

Vera held up well in a five-round affair at UFC on ESPN 35, where he scored three knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision triumph over Rob Font in Saturday night’s bantamweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“I feel good in there. I just think everything I worked for my whole life was a result of today,” Vera said. “I picked him apart, I hurt him. It was close to [putting] him out a couple of times, but you’ve got to be smart in there. Some people get too crazy when they hurt an opponent and they gas out. You’ve got to be smart in the long run. I tried, but I’m happy with the performance, I’m happy with what I did to him.

“Especially [since]…he was talking a little s—t that he was too good, he was too technical. Now he sees what’s up.”

Font missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday, which resulted in Vera getting $100,000 for “Fight of the Night.” It worked out for Vera, but he believes some athletes are better off moving up a weight class.

“It just told me how big the guy is for the division,” Vera said. “Some 35ers should fight at 45, but they don’t have the balls to do it. I do believe big weight cuts are just as equal as cheating. If you’re not consistent enough, it will catch up to you one day and we showed that tonight.”

Font landed in great volume throughout the contest, ending up with the third-highest total ever for significant strikes landed in a UFC bout. It wasn’t enough, though, because Vera’s offerings did more damage — even if the finish didn’t arrive.

“He was doing a good job going to the single leg when he was hurt. I just picked him apart. I sbowed I could hurt him, but I showed I could be composed too,” Vera said. “That’s a little bit more dangerous than the guy that just goes crazy. Sometimes you’re not able to finish a guy. I showed today that I can be calm and collected in those situations.”