UFC San Diego Star Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera Clarifies His ‘Low-Level’ Comments on Former Bantamweight Champion Publicly

This weekend, UFC saw the rise of another contender in Marlon Vera, who defeated Dominick Cruz via a devastating head-kick knockout in the main event of UFC San Diego.

While sitting with the media in his post-fight press conference, Chito Vera reflected on the fight and what a victory over a veteran like Cruz meant to him. 

The media asked Vera, what did he think of Cruz’s style and if he found it particularly tricky? He replied by saying, “Honestly, me and my team really think that the way he fights is kind of like very low level”. He also commented on Cruz’s stance and his side-to-side movements not being fit for MMA. 

With the statements made, a lot of people felt like Chito was being disrespectful and insulting a certified legend of the sport. 

Vera gave clarity on his statement

This clearly wasn’t the intention. He clarified his statements on “the MMA hour.” Vera started off by speaking highly of Dominick Cruz. He said, “He made bantamweight cool. He was the name that brought up the bantamweights. When he was the champion and was fighting other people, he was fighting alright guys.”

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He further praised Dominick by saying, despite all the years off due to injury, he (Cruz) still returned and displayed amazing performances against the likes of Takeya Mizugaki and TJ Dillashaw. 

Vera, addressing the issue; explained, what he meant by “Low-level”. He started by describing the style of Isreal Adesanya, not only being flashy but also having a very strong base. Vera said, “When I say good base, I mean proper fundamental.” which Dominick’s style lacks, according to Chito. 

He said, “With Dominick, the … movement that he does, me and my coaches think that’s a low-level style to do MMA. It’s just our opinion. It’s not a fact, but maybe we prove it because of the way that we finished him.”

He reiterated that he didn’t mean to disrespect him and wasn’t talking s*** about him. “Yes, I said it like that and I mean, it just sounds a little f***** up, it sounds like I was talking s***. I wasn’t talking s***. I do respect him. … I have respect for him and I appreciate what he did, because without a guy like that, maybe bantamweight wouldn’t be what it is.” Vera added.

What’s next for Marlon Vera?

All top contenders in the bantamweight division are scheduled for a fight in the upcoming months. It’ll be interesting to see who Marlon Vera faces next. The winner of Cory Sandhagen vs Song Yadong would make up for a great matchup. The current bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, is also set to defend his title against TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280.

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What did you think of Vera’s comments on Cruz? Who do you think he will fight next? Let us know in the comments below.