Last Fight of the Year for Marlon "Chito" Vera
In his last fight of 2020, Marlon Chito Vera (16-7-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) lost by unanimous decision on Saturday night against the experienced and former featherweight champion UFC José Aldo (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) and didn't achieve his goal of dethroning a top 10 to place himself in the forefront of the bantamweight division ranking.
Chito closes the year with one win and two losses, and currently retains the fifteenth position in the rankings, behind Chinese Song Yadong, his first opponent in the 2020 schedule.
Brazilian Aldo conquered the co-main event of UFC Vegas 17 with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 29-28.
After two somewhat open rounds for both fighters, Aldo settled the fight in the third and final round, which he dominated from beginning to end by locking the Ecuadorian fighter and not allowing him to score points.
Chito, who was on the rise for his significant victory over the American Sean O'Malley in the co-main event of UFC 252 last August, admitted that "small details" in the third round prevented him from achieving a favorable outcome in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Thanks everyone for the support. I'll take care of the small details in the third round," he wrote on Twitter after the event.
Thanks everyone for the support. Thanks everyone for the support I’ll take care of the small details in the 3rd round ----
— Chito Vera (@chitoveraUFC) December 20, 2020
According to the fight analysis published by UFC on their website, in the final round "Aldo mounts Vera and takes him from behind to seek the strangulation. The Brazilian works on the ground and dominates the position. The Ecuadorian defends himself with some punches, but fails to get up."
The second round was "very fast-paced in the attacks from both fighters." Meanwhile, in the first round, "Aldo pressures with his punches, Vera closes the distance and presses in the clinch to attack with some knee strikes to the body. The Brazilian is powerful with his striking, but Chito doesn't back down and responds with explosive kicks."
The same website indicates that all three rounds were "competitive."
Later, the leading tricolor representative in MMA within the American company posted on Instagram: "I made a mistake and that's fine. I can fix that. I'll be back! Thanks, Dana White (UFC president)."
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