Marlon Vera Tells Joe Rogan He Was Fighting Homeless Kids on the Streets

Several fighters have seen great adversities during their early MMA career. Many of them did not have the adequate resources to train properly. Yet they managed to overcome several setbacks. Something similar was the case with UFC fighter Marlon Vera. While he is doing great now, his early MMA career was ridden with difficulties.

In a conversation with Joe Rogan, Vera spoke about how he used to train earlier. He had no qualms in sharing how he trained during those difficult times. On ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’, Vera revealed that no facilities were available for training.

‘Chito’ said, “Nothing. I was training on living rooms with mats. You move this table, you put mats and we go jab, cross, hook back and forth. There was nothing.”

When asked about what motivated him to continue training, Vera said, “This is a crazy thing. This goes back to when I am a 4-year-old kid in Ecuador, in this town called Chone. I was fighting on the street, the homeless kids that they clean shoes for money or they sell like… cigarettes. My brother used to call these kids, give them a couple of bucks to fight me for fun.”

Even as a 4 or 5-year-old kid, Vera used to fight for fun. In fact, this was something that ‘Chito’ used to look forward to. Instead of playing soccer, he would prefer to have a street fight. Vera also said that he wasn’t an aggressive person while growing up, but he sure would be looking for a fight.

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What’s next for Marlon Vera?

Vera was last seen at UFC 268, facing Frankie Edgar. The 18-7-1 record holder successfully knocked out Edgar and won the bout. After a beautiful performance at Madison Square Garden, he will be high on confidence.

While it is unclear whom he will next fight, a rematch against Sean O’Malley would be interesting. Both fought at UFC 252 and Vera emerged as the winner. However, as ‘Sugar’ has refused to acknowledge his only UFC loss, there is bad blood between them.

Hence, another bout would be really exciting. Who do you think is a good opponent for Marlon Vera?

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What do you think about Vera’s crazy street fights during his childhood? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.