Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Vera targeted for UFC 292
A fantastic bantamweight bout between former champion Henry Cejudo and top contender Marlon Vera is being targeted for UFC 292.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the Cejudo vs. Vera fight, which will take place at UFC 292 on August 19 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Let’s go. Cejudo vs. Chito added to UFC 292 in Boston, per Dana White. Three rounder, on the same card as Sterling, O’Malley title fight. It’s a Bantamweight night in Beantown, Aug. 19. pic.twitter.com/B8nMSDPWH4
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 20, 2023
Cejudo (16-3) is the No. 3 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The former champion returned to the Octagon earlier this year when he took on UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, losing a close split decision there. Cejudo called out Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili for his next fight, but with Dvalishvili on the mend following surgery, he was not able to take the fight. Clearly, Cejudo still wanted to get back in the cage as soon as possible, and lucky for him, the UFC was able to find Cejudo a top-10 opponent who was available to fight when they matched him up with Vera.
Vera (20-8-1) is the No. 6 ranked bantamweight contender in the UFC. He is coming off of a split decision loss to Cory Sandhagen in his last fight, but most fans and media thought it was a generous split decision, as everyone thought he clearly lost that fight. Still, Vera had won four straight fights before that and had been looking solid, so a win over Cejudo would help get him back to that same spot where he was before. Overall, Vera is still one of the best fighters in his weight class, although going up against a wrestler of Cejudo’s caliber figures to really test out his takedown defense.
In addition to Cejudo vs. Vera, the UFC 292 card also features Sterling taking on top contender Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight strap, meaning this card is going to be pivotal to figuring out the future of the UFC’s 135lbs weight class.
Who do you think wins this bantamweight bout at UFC 292 between Henry Cejudo and Marlon Vera?
