Free Fight: Vera Destroys Cruz With Laser-Like Kick

Marlon Vera will attempt to solidify his spot as the next possible contender the the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF)C Bantamweight title shot if he can score a win over Cory Sandhagen this Saturday (March 25, 2023) in the main event of UFC San Antonio.

Before then, let’s take a trip down Memory Lan to see “Chito’s” last win, which came at the expense of former 135-pound champion, Dominick Cruz, in Aug. 2022. Vera came out aggressive in round one, dropping “The Dominator” early to make things interesting.

The rest of the fight was competitive, with Cruz using his legendary footwork to get in and out, all the while Vera was doing a lot of stalking. In round four, however, Vera caught Cruz with a vicious kick to the nose as the former champ was ducking and trying to slide away.

Very got enough of what he needed and sent Cruz crashing to the canvas and followed it up with another three strikes, though Cruz was pretty much out before he hit the canvas. The victory gave Vera (No. 3) his fourth straight and will now look to climb the ladder by earning his first five-fight win streak inside the Octagon.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC San Antonio fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC San Antonio news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Vera vs. Sandhagen” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ line up click here.