Marlon "Chito" Vera Always Keeps The Same Intensity

“I was fighting in the street for free almost every week,” Vera recalled. “I love to fight, and I was very welcoming of a fistfight, so if someone got mad, I was like, okay, let's go fix it outside. I just grew up fighting.” 

Most things have changed since then for the married father of three, who will get his chance to become a UFC champion this weekend when he faces Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 299 in Miami. But one thing hasn’t, and that’s Vera’s belief that fighting will lead to a better life – not just for him, but for his family.

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“I'm not doing this for the followers, I'm not doing this for the fame, I'm not doing this for the material stuff,” said Vera. “Granted, I have a bunch of material stuff, but things I like, things I grew up thinking I want one day. But, at the end of the day, you do it for the core, you do it for the family, you do it for the smile of those kids you do it for.”