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Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera knows exactly how to fool USADA. Recently, the bantamweight star appeared on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk podcast. The two covered a number of topics as the camera rolled. Before the street-fight-obsessed bodybuilder could ask Vera if he could beat him in a fight, Vera dropped a pretty controversial take.

The fighter might just be ‘Suga‘ Sean O’Malley’s very next opponent. O’Malley won the championship title recently and has shown interest in fighting Vera again. However, no fighter can make it into the cage without being cleared by USADA. And ‘Chito’ thinks he knows how to get it done by hook or crook. Here’s what fans had to say about the take.

Fans react to Marlon Vera’s insane claim

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On the podcast, Vera proudly claimed that he would “rather die before I cheat,” but at the same time, he knew how to cheat if he wanted to. He told Martyn how USADA came knocking at your door at very specific hours which could give fighters a window. During this window, with the right assistance, anything was possible.

“It’s too fu*ked up. I think there’s a lot of people taking (PEDs) because it’s so easy to beat USADA,” he said. “You need like 20 grand. Call a good doctor, boom . . .USADA only comes 6am to 6pm. I would love it if USADA knock on your door at 4am, 10pm, 3pm — random, because they have this window. So, I can go to the f—king mountains in Ecuador and tell them ‘I’m hunting,’ and I’ll be doing EPO and s***. By the time I come back there’s nothing in me.”

The podcast clip went pretty viral and fans slowly started both, understanding and challenging Vera’s take to some extent. Is it really so easy to beat the USADA and just cheat?

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Here’s what fans thought about his comments under a post on Reddit.

“Then you wonder why so many fighters train in mountains, thailand, deserts and bunch of made up sh*t just to avoid already pathetic testing company lmao”

“They all take something. Might as well just stop testing and let them juice. We can’t allow fights to be dictated by who is the better juicer.”

It’s obvious…look at some of the fighters, they are shredded like bodybuilders but also fight ferociously. Example jailton almeida, kamaru usman, mohammed usman.”

Some fans seemed convinced that just about every fighter consumes PEDs to keep themselves in top shape. Some others pointed out issues with USADA’s methodology.

“By banning IVs, USADA told the world how to beat them. Plus, the only way to catch someone using an IV is by catching them in the act.”

Perhaps the sport isn’t big enough yet but I’ve wondered why they don’t have untested federations the way body building and powerlifting is separated by testing as well as weight classes.”

Finally, some other fans were just trying to defend their favorite fighters or attack those they didn’t favor so much or thought were on PEDs.

“All those trips to Thailand and mountains in Dagestan sounding suspect now. Jiri training in the middle of no where etc.”

Jones is the goat, regardless of PED use”

Clearly, fans are mostly in agreement with Vera and his claims about cheating USADA. The question is if every fighter in the UFC knows what can be done then why won’t USADA take serious measures against them? Fans wonder if fully enhanced athletes have ever stepped into the cage and defeated their opponent by leaps and bounds. It wouldn’t be a very fair fight, would it?

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What’s next for Vera and Sean O’Malley?

The last time we saw Vera he had just freshly defeated Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292. The fighter is currently #6 in the bantamweight division. He has been trying to fight as consistently as possible but has ended up toppling from the ladder. ‘Chito’ used to be number 3 but finds himself out of the top five for now.

Also Read: Marlon Vera Sends Out a 7-Word Bold Message to Newly Crowned Bantamweight Champ Sean O’Malley, Following His Dominant Win Over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

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That doesn’t mean he has no shot at the title. Sean O’Malley previously claimed that he could easily beat Vera if they were to face off. The last time the two fought was back in 2020 when the current champ got knocked out by the Ecuadorian fighter in the second round. Now, will the champ decide to go up against ‘Chito’? Will he be passed by the USADA fair and square? Only time will tell.

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