Can Marlon Vera Turn Back the Hungry 37-Year-Old?
Marlon Vera took the world by storm out of nowhere when he was able to secure a controversial win over Sean O’Malley in 2020. He has gone on to climb the rankings, and in 2024, he was able to finally compete for the Bantamweight Championship, even though he came up short. Now he’s in a bit of a crossroads, and this Saturday, Aiemann Zahabi looks to continue his own climb up the rankings at his expense. Will Vera show his level of competition and experience to be too much for Zahabi to handle, or will Zahabi use this momentum to carry him even further?
Marlon Vera is known for having a granite chin and heavy hands. However, his greatest flaw is that he is a slow starter and doesn’t give much in the way of output. He looks to counter, and he looks to land the one big shot to get him the victory. As the level of competition he has faced has increased, he has struggled to land that big shot. In this matchup, I think he will be defensively sound in the exchanges, and when he counters and lands, he will do significant damage, the way Jose Aldo was piecing up Zahabi throughout their fight. Vera will build as the fight goes on, and if he can be more active than normal, then he will secure a much-needed victory in this fight and counter the output that Zahabi will throw his way.
Aiemann Zahabi is on a six-fight winning streak and really put himself on the map by coming back and winning his last fight against Jose Aldo after being dropped multiple times and hurt badly in round three. At 37 years old, it is now or never for Zahabi to make a run towards the title, and this matchup could go a long way to doing so. He has yet to face the champion Merab Dvalishvili, and if he can beat the seventh-ranked Marlon Vera, he could get a title eliminator fight in the near future. He will need to get going early and put the pace on Vera that will make him fall behind and look to play catch-up. If he can make Vera move forward, something he has never been particularly comfortable doing, he will find great success in those exchanges and could secure a massive decision victory.
This is a huge fight for both competitors. One fighter is looking to show that their time at the top isn’t over, and the other is looking to finally get their name up there in the rankings with the best in the division. This fight should be a striking clinic and has the potential to be a three-round war. Whichever way this fight goes, you're not going to want to miss it and all the other action this Saturday for UFC Vancouver. The main card starts at 7:00 p.m. EST.
