Marlon “Chito” Vera will headline UFC Fight Night on Saturday, facing off against Cory Sandhagen in a bout critical in determining the top of the bantamweight division.
At the moment, bantamweight is a complicated division. Reigning champion Aljamain Sterling is expected to move to featherweight after his title defense in May against the returning Henry Cejudo, and a win would allow Sterling to set the record for most consecutive bantamweight title defenses. Cejudo’s winning would throw a wrench into those plans, potentially leading to a rematch, but the current No. 1 contender is Merab Dvalishvili (who has said he will not fight Sterling because of their friendship). Dvalishvili is followed by Sean O’Malley, and Vera is third. A win against Sandhagen should allow Vera to jump O’Malley, whom he defeated in August 2020.
The immediate future of the division is dependent on what unfolds in the Sterling-Cejudo title bout, but one certainty for Vera is that he needs to defeat Sandhagen (15–4, ranked fifth in the division) to reach the heights he wants to climb.
