‘Maybe I Came Back Too Quick’

‘Chito’ suggested he hadn’t given his body enough time to recover after a tough loss to Sean O’Malley earlier this year.

Did Marlon Vera return to the octagon a bit too soon after taking a hellacious beating at the hands of Sean O’Malley back in March?

That’s a question “Chito” is asking himself after losing to Deiveson Figueiredo via decision on the undercard of UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov. Figueiredo became the first fighter to ever knock Vera down in the UFC (watch the highlights where), which could just be a testament to the former flyweight champion’s power at bantamweight. But in a statement posted on social media after the event, Vera suggested the damage he took five months earlier played a part.

“I fail at myself last night,” Vera wrote on Instagram. “I thought I was ready, I felt good in the gym, but at the end maybe I come back too quick after a hard title fight.”

O’Malley outstruck Vera 232 to 89 in their five round title fight at UFC 299, earning 50-45, 50-45, 50-44 scores from the judges. Vera’s durability carried him to the final bell, but at what cost? The O’Malley fight clearly took a toll on “Chito,” one that he hopes will wear off with more time.

“Life doesn’t end here,” he continued. “I still dream about big things, I just need time to let go and reset. Thank you Abu Dhabi for your love to my family for always being by my side, and Ecuador, thank you for always lifting me up like you did in the past. Shukrahn Abu Dhabi! I’ll be back re-born.”

Vera is just 31 years old, so hopefully an extended break is all that’s needed for him to reset and re-establish himself at the top of the bantamweight division. But it’s an important reminder that fighters can only take so much damage before their body starts to betray them.