Marlon Vera

Ultimate Fighting Championship Vera made his official debut against fellow castmate Marco Beltrán on November 15, 2014, at UFC 180. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

For his next bout, Vera faced Roman Salazar on August 8, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 73. He won the fight via submission in the second round. He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

Vera faced Davey Grant on February 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 84. Vera lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera was expected to face Ning Guangyou on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. Subsequently, on August 9, 2016, it was revealed that Guangyou had tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol in relation to an out-of-competition drug test taken on May 19. Guangyou was cleared of wrongdoing after it was determined by USADA that he had possibly ingested tainted meat from China. As a result, he was not punished. The bout was rescheduled and expected to take place the following week at UFC on Fox 21. In turn, the bout was postponed again due to alleged visa issues for Guangyou, which restricted the timing of his travel. The pairing eventually took place at featherweight on November 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 101. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera was briefly tabbed as a short notice replacement to face Jimmie Rivera on January 15, 2017. However, Rivera declined the fight and the pairing was scrapped.

Vera was an injury replacement for Henry Briones to face Brad Pickett on March 18, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 107. Due to the short notice and preparation for Vera, the bout was contested at a catchweight of 140 lbs. He won the fight via TKO in the third round for which he was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.

Vera faced Brian Kelleher on July 22, 2017, at UFC on Fox 25. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Vera faced John Lineker on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera faced Douglas Silva de Andrade on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Vera faced Wuliji Buren on August 8, 2018, at UFC 227. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Vera faced Guido Cannetti on November 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 140. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.

Vera was expected to face Thomas Almeida on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235. However Almeida pulled out of the fight on January 31, citing an injury, and was replaced by Frankie Saenz. In turn, Vera pulled out of the fight on February 27 due to illness and the bout was scrapped from the event. The bout was rescheduled to UFC Fight Night 148. Vera won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Vera was scheduled to face Sean O'Malley on July 6, 2019, at UFC 239. However, O'Malley announced his withdraw from the bout on June 21, 2019, due a failed test for ostarine. O'Malley was replaced by newcomer Nohelin Hernandez. Vera won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.

Vera faced Andre Ewell on October 12, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 161. He won the fight via technical knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.

Vera was scheduled to face Jimmie Rivera on February 8, 2020, at UFC 247. However, Rivera pulled out of the fight on January 23 citing an injury. In turn, promotion officials elected to remove Vera from the card.

Vera was expected to face Eddie Wineland on March 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik. However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Vera faced Song Yadong in a featherweight bout on May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants earned the Fight of the Night award.

Vera faced Sean O'Malley on August 15, 2020, at UFC 252. Vera defeated O'Malley via first round TKO. Vera finished O'Malley with a flurry of strikes after dropping him with a calf kick.

Vera faced José Aldo on December 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Neal. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

A rematch of Vera's 2016 bout with Davey Grant took place on June 19, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 25. Vera won the bout this time via unanimous decision. The bout earned both fighters the Fight of the Night award.

Vera faced Frankie Edgar on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268. Vera won the fight via front kick knockout in round three. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Vera faced Rob Font on April 30, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 35. At the weigh-ins, Font weighed in at 138.5 pounds, two and half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Font forfeiting 20% of his purse to Vera. Vera won the bout via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award and also Font's bonus due to his weight miss.

Vera faced Dominick Cruz on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 41. Vera won the fight via knockout in the fourth round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Vera was scheduled to face Cory Sandhagen on February 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 219. However, the bout was moved to UFC on ESPN 43 on March 25 for undisclosed reasons. Vera lost the fight via split decision. Though one judge scored the bout for Vera, 24 out of 24 media outlets scored the bout for Sandhagen.

Vera was scheduled to face former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292. However, Cejudo withdrew in late June due to a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Pedro Munhoz. Vera won the fight by unanimous decision. 14 out of 17 media outlets scored the bout for Munhoz.

Vera faced Sean O'Malley in a rematch for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Vera faced former UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo on August 3, 2024, at UFC on ABC 7. He lost the fight by unanimous decision after getting knocked down for the first time in his UFC career.

Vera was scheduled to face Mario Bautista on May 3, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 256. However, for unknown reasons, the bout was moved to UFC 316 and was scheduled to take place on June 7, 2025. In turn, Vera withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Patchy Mix.

Vera faced Aiemann Zahabi on October 18, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 262. He lost the fight by split decision.

Vera faced David Martínez on February 28, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 268. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Vera was scheduled to face Charles Jourdain on July 18, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 281. However, for unknown reasons, the bout was moved to UFC 331 on September 19, 2026.

Submission grappling career Vera faced Jean Silva in a submission grappling match at Hype FC Brazil: Sao Paulo on April 8, 2026. The bout ended in a draw.

Personal life Vera is married to María Paulina Escobar. They have two daughters, born in 2011 and 2018, and a son, born in 2015. His eldest daughter has a rare neurological condition Möbius syndrome, for which Vera created a GoFundMe account. In June 2018, Vera announced that they had raised sufficient donations for a surgery, which was planned to take place in California during the summer of 2018.

In 2017, Vera signed an advertisement deal with Pepsi through which his fans will see him on billboards all across his home country.

Championships & accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Five times) Tied (Montel Jackson) for most knockdowns in UFC Bantamweight division history (11) Most decision bouts in UFC Bantamweight division history (15) Most total fight time in UFC Bantamweight division history (5:09:51) UFC.com Awards 2020: Ranked #6 Upset of the Year 2022: Ranked #6 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #5 Knockout of the Year ESPN 2022 Most Improved Fighter of the Year MMA Fighting 2022 First Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Loss

David Martínez Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh

Mexico City, Mexico Loss

Aiemann Zahabi Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs. Allen

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Loss

Deiveson Figueiredo Decision (unanimous) UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss

Sean O'Malley Decision (unanimous) UFC 299

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Pedro Munhoz Decision (unanimous) UFC 292

Boston, Massachusetts, United States Loss

Cory Sandhagen Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen

San Antonio, Texas, United States Win

Dominick Cruz KO (head kick) UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz

San Diego, California, United States Win

Rob Font Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Frankie Edgar KO (front kick) UFC 268

New York City, New York, United States Win

Davey Grant Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

José Aldo Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Sean O'Malley TKO (elbows and punches) UFC 252

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Song Yadong Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris

Jacksonville, Florida, United States Win

Andre Ewell TKO (elbows and punches) UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson

Tampa, Florida, United States Win

Nohelin Hernandez Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 239

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Frankie Saenz TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win

Guido Cannetti Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Wuliji Buren TKO (body punch) UFC 227

Los Angeles, California, United States Loss

Douglas Silva de Andrade Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders

Belém, Brazil Loss

John Lineker Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Brian Kelleher Submission (armbar) UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum

Uniondale, New York, United States Win

Brad Pickett TKO (head kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson

London, England Win

Ning Guangyou Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson

Melbourne, Australia Loss

Davey Grant Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping

London, England Win

Roman Salazar Submission (triangle armbar) UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Loss

Marco Beltrán Decision (unanimous) UFC 180

Mexico City, Mexico Win

D'Juan Owens Submission (heel hook) Inka 24

Lima, Peru Loss

Bruno Leandro Lobato Decision (unanimous) Inka 23

Lima, Peru Draw

Fábio Bispo Draw (unanimous) Inka 22

Lima, Peru Win

Luis Roberto Herrera Submission (rear-naked choke) Mexican Fighters Promotions 16

Chihuahua City, Mexico Win

Joel Iglesias KO (elbows) 300 Sparta 1

Lima, Peru Win

Javier Umana Munoz Submission (triangle choke) Ultimate Combat Challenge 13

Panama City, Panama Win

Alexis Patino Pinos Submission (armbar) Punisher Machala 4

Guayaquil, Ecuador Win

Jack Guzman Submission (triangle choke) Samurai FC 7

Quito, Ecuador Win

Cesar Moreno Decision (unanimous) Extreme FC 2

Santa Elena, Ecuador Win

Romel Orosco Submission (armbar) Quito Fight Club 3

Guayaquil, Ecuador Mixed martial arts exhibition record Win

Henry Briones KO (upkick) The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America (airdate)

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Pay-per-view bouts