UFC on ESPN 35 Preview
The UFC is heading back to the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday April 30th for UFC on ESPN 35. The main event will be a showdown in the bantamweight division between #5 Rob Font and #8 Marlon Vera.
Font is looking to rebound after losing by unanimous decision in his last fight to UFC legend Jose Aldo. Prior to the loss Font was on a four-fight winning streak with impressive wins over former champion Cody Garbrandt, title challenger Marlon Moraes, Ricky Simon and Sergio Pettis.
The 34-year-old has been fighting in the UFC since 2014 and has collected nine wins with an overall record of 19-5. Font is looking to correct the mistakes he made in the Aldo fight and rebound in a big way against Vera.
“Three back-to-back, three main events, especially against two former champions (in Aldo and Cody Garbrandt) – I think they trust me,” Font said. “I think they know I’m going to put on an exciting fight. I think they know I’m going to make weight; I’m going to show up and I’m going to handle business.”
A win for Font could mean a potential fight against the fighter one spot ahead of him in the rankings Corey Sandhagen, who most recently challenged for the interim bantamweight title at UFC 267 in October.
Vera is riding two straight victories into this fight and his last was a devastating KO over UFC legend Frankie Edgar at UFC 268 in November. A win over Font represents a top 5 ranking for Vera and at this point would be the biggest win of his career.
The 29-year-old knows that a win on Saturday puts him into the title conversation at bantamweight. “I believe a great win on Saturday night would put me on title contention,” Vera said. “Depending on how the cards are played at the top, it’s either I can go straight for the belt or I have another fight. But a win this Saturday puts me right there.”
Like Font, Vera has been fighting in the UFC since 2014 and has collected 12 victories and is 18-7 overall in his MMA career.
The rest of the main card:
Heavyweight - Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake Collier
Featherweight - Andre Fili vs. Joanderson Brito
Lightweight - Jared Gordon vs. Grant Dawson
Featherweight - Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly
Middleweight -Krzysztof Jotko vs. Gerald Meerschaert
ESPN 2 and ESPN + Prelims:
Flyweight - Daniel Lacerda vs. Francisco Figueiredo
Heavyweight -Alexander Romanov vs. Chase Sherman
Welterweight - Gabriel Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
Lightweight - Natan Levy vs. Mike Breeden
Women's Flyweight - Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
Flyweight - Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Candelario
