ABU DHABI – Marlon Vera plans on making Deiveson Figueiredo pay if he shoots on him.
Vera (23-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) will look to rebound from his title loss when he takes on Figueiredo (23-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC on ABC 7 (ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+) main card at Etihad Arena.
Former flyweight champion Figueiredo has shown off his ground game since moving up to 135 pounds, defeating Rob Font and then submitting Cody Garbrandt. Vera is expecting a similar approach from the Brazilian.
“His last two fights, based on 35’ers, he’s been pretty much only wrestling,” Vera told reporters, including MMA Junkie at UFC on ABC 7 media day. “He’s just been changing levels and going for a takedown. I don’t know if he feels the size difference. I don’t know if he’s just that good on the ground, but I know for a fact I’m good on the ground. So, if we go to the ground, I’ll be just fine.”
Figueiredo has trained at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym since touching down in Abu Dhabi. Vera scoffed at the linkup.
“F*ck yeah, Khabib, that’s cool,” Vera said. “He can try to hump my leg, but I’m going to slice him up with elbows. Even if he’s three months with Khabib or a year with Khabib, I don’t give a f*ck.”
Vera has never been finished in 33 professional fights. Figueiredo predicted he’ll be the first to knock out Vera, but “Chito” isn’t buying it.
“That probably means he’s going to f*cking just shoot and smell my crotch in the first second of the fight,” Vera said. “So, we know how this works. Fighters say something and do something else, but I mean, if we wants to try, we can give it a try.
“I never take pride in these things because I don’t want to talk about it and put it out in the universe. I just work hard and do the best I can, but yeah, he can give it a try.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.
