UFC bantamweight Rob Font thought he’d be getting Cory Sandhagen next. Font lost to Aldo. Sanghagen lost to Petr Yan. Instead, he’s fighting Marlon “Chito” Vera this weekend in the headliner for UFC Vegas 53, and Font told Just Scrap Radio that he’s excited, if a little surprised.
“You were just as surprised as I was, as I was nowhere near thinking of fighting Chito, but we got the call and I show up and do my thing.
Rob Font on Marlon Vera: “if I can finish this fight in one round I’ll be happy”
I figured eventually [we would fight], we came into the UFC around the same time and I always have heard about him and seen him.
We have fought on the same cards, but I just figured, you always want to fight the guy in front of you and I thought it made sense for me and Cory to fight because we are both coming off losses.”
Font knows that Vera is a dangerous striker, and is particularly wary of the leg kicks around which “Chito” built his fight game. Like many other fighters, he plans to neutralize this threat with some good old-fashioned wrestling.
“Just staying away from those kicks and making it awkward for him to kick. Messing with his timing and messing with his setups, just make it hard for him to hit and land anything.
Just constantly being a moving target I think will be the key to this fight, once I jump in on him he covers up and shells up I can overwhelm him.”
If all goes according to plan, Vera will make one mistake too many and Font will end the fight early. “I want to pull it out of him, I want to get him going and throwing make him make mistakes and capitalize on it.
It’s hard to finish anyone at this level, especially a guy like Chito. If I can get him going and get him comfortable and start feeling like he can let loose and start landing stuff, I believe there will be a lot more leakage and opportunities for me to capitalize on his mistakes.
We just have to stay busy and let him do his thing and counter it. The goal is to get in there and get him out as soon as possible, if I can finish this fight in one round I’ll be happy. But, I know he’s tough and he’s never been finished and it can go all five rounds and I will be ready for that.”
Which way do you see Font vs Vera going? Let us know in the comments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSL-6t6RF0Q
