mixed-martial-arts | Wednesday, August 10, 2022 12:26 PM (Revised at: Saturday, August 13, 2022 9:58 AM)

UFC Fight Night Marlon Vera vs Dominick Cruz Best Bet: 'Chito' Dominates 'The Dominator'

Milan Stanojic

Marlon Vera vs Dominick Cruz Best Bet: Saturday, August 13th

The main event of UFC Fight Night this Saturday will have former Bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz taking on the young contender Marlon Vera. Both fighters are in solid form heading into the event, but it will ultimately, we give the edge to the young buck. Have a look at the article below for my fight Preview & Best Bet.

In this article:

Marlon Vera vs Dominick Cruz Preview
Marlon Vera vs Dominick Cruz Best Bet

Marlon Vera vs Dominick Cruz Preview

Saturday, August 13th.

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera didn’t want to wait until October to take on the no.1-ranked Bantamweight title contender and former champ Petr Yan. Instead, he opted to face the 8th-ranked contender in Dominick Cruz this weekend. Vera himself is ranked 5th in the division and is trying to work toward a potential title shot at the back of his 3-fight winning streak. He has won 4 of his last 5 fights, with the only loss being a decision against one of the legends in the game Jose Aldo. At 29 years old, Vera is absolutely in his prime, and if he should hope to make a move for the Bantamweight title anytime soon, this fight is a must-win.

Marlon Vera is a very exciting fighter who constantly puts pressure on his opponents using his striking volume and power. Vera boasts 7 career KO/TKO wins but is also an elite grappler with 8 submissions to his record. Although he is far from unbeatable, having 7 career decision losses, Vera has been getting better in recent years and is a very dangerous opponent. Vera’s cardio is exceptional, and he is coming off a 5-rounder decision victory against Rob Font.

Meanwhile, Dominick Cruz is at the tail end of his career at 36 years of age and currently hovering at the middle of the Bantamweight rankings. He has fought just 6 times since January 2016, and this will be his first appearance in the octagon this year. Cruz lost the Bantamweight title to Cody Garbrant in 2016 and failed to get it back against Henry Cedujo in 2020, losing via TKO. He has since bounced back with decision victories over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz and is now hoping to get his name back into the title race.

In terms of fighting style, Dominick Cruz is as entertaining as the next guy. His constant movement, switching of stances and activity make him both exciting to watch and difficult to hit. Pedro Munhoz was the latest witness to how hard it is to keep up with Cruz, and you can bet he will be using his signature figure-8 movement pattern in this fight as well. But there are some concerns regarding his chin since the Cedujo fight. In the first round against Munhoz, Cruz was all but knocked out, going limp from a left hook for at least a few seconds, but was thankfully able to regain consciousness.

Marlon Vera vs Dominick Cruz Best Bet

With a 6-centimetre reach advantage, and being 7 years his opponent’s junior, there’s a reason why Vera is favoured at 1.44 odds to win. He has the momentum coming into this fight, and his overwhelming power and volume should be enough to get him the victory here. Cruz is by no means an easy opponent, but this is Chito’s time and I would even back him to win by KO/TKO given his punching power!