Tag: Rob Font

UFC on ESPN 35: Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Vegas 53 odds and lines between Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a bantamweight bout in the main event, Rob Font and Marlon Vera meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 35 — also known as UFC Vegas 53 — at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Below, we analyze the UFC on ESPN 35 Font vs. Vera odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The fights can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 4 p.m. ET and the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Font is looking to bounce back from a unanimous-decision loss last time out in the main event against Jose Aldo in December. That loss snapped a four-fight win streak, with five of his past six bouts going the distance.

Vera dropped Frankie Edgar in the third round at UFC 268 back in November last time out. He has two losses in the past five outings, but losses to Jose Aldo and Song Yadong is nothing to be ashamed about.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ESPN 35 Font vs. Vera odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Font -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Vera +102 (bet $100 to win $102)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -160 | No +115)

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UFC Vegas 35 Font vs. Vera picks and predictions

Records: Font (19-5-0) | Vera (18-7-1)

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

FONT (-160) is worth playing on the 2-way line as the moderate favorite. He was on quite the run with victories over Sergio Pettis, Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes and Cody Garbrandt, he was on the short end against Aldo. Still, he has been battle-tested, and he is a good play to get back on track for a title shot.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES (-160): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is a great play based on recent history. Font has needed the judges to decide his fate in five of the past six outings, while three of the past five for Vera have ended via decision.

Both of these fighters are close in stature, reach and significant strikes landed per minutes, as well as strike accuracy and takedown average, too. That means these fighters are evenly matched and should go long into the evening.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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UFC on ESPN 35 video: Rob Font misses weight for main event with Marlon Vera

Rob Font stepped on the scale 2.5 pounds over the bantamweight limit for the UFC on ESPN 35 headliner with Marlon Vera.

LAS VEGAS – The main event for UFC on ESPN 35 is official, but it didn’t come without hiccups

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) missed weight for the bantamweight headliner with [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC). Both men stepped on the scale Friday in Las Vegas to make the UFC on ESPN 35 headliner official.

Vera was the first fighter at the weigh-in session to step on the scale. “Chito” used his one-pound allowance for a non-title bout and weighed in at 136 pounds. Font, however, entered the weigh-in room approximately 61 minutes into the two-hour window. He was 138.5 pounds, which is 2.5 pounds over the limit.

If Vera accepts the fight at a catchweight, Font is expected to be fined a percentage of his purse, which will be issued to Vera.

Check out their trips to the scale in the video above and check back for more updates.

UFC on ESPN 35 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.

Rob Font puzzled by perception of Marlon Vera ahead of UFC on ESPN 35 headliner

Rob Font doesn’t understand why people view Marlon Vera as “the new guy” going into their UFC on ESPN 35 main event.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] knows the onus is on him to maintain his position in the upper tier of the bantamweight division in the UFC on ESPN 35 main event.

After suffering a loss to Jose Aldo in their December headliner, Font (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) gets another chance to prevail under the spotlight when he takes on Marlon Vera (18-7-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

There was no shame in the setback against a legend like Aldo, but Font said he knows he made some tactical mistakes that diminished his chances for victory. He thinks he’s rectified some of those errors, and is glad the promotion put him in the position to show it on a big stage.

“Three back-to-back, three main events, especially against two former champions (in Aldo and Cody Garbrandt) – I think they trust me,” Font told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 35 media day. “I think they know I’m going to put on an exciting fight. I think they know I’m going to make weight, I’m going to show up and I’m going to handle business.”

Font, No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, had a four-fight winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Aldo at UFC on ESPN 31. Vera, an honorable mention in the latest rankings, is hungry to give him back-to-back losses and take a spot inside the top 10.

Vera has been on a hot streak coming into what’s his first UFC main event with eight wins in his past 10. “Chito” has the most finishes in the history of the UFC’s 135-pound division, including stoppages over future UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar and rising star Sean O’Malley.

The attention around Vera has only really come in the past couple years, but Font said he’s well aware his next opponent debuted in the UFC just four months after he did back in 2014.

“He’s been around for a while,” Font said. “It’s weird. People are acting like he’s like the new guy, but he’s been around for a while – ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ shows, fought a lot of tough guys, fought Aldo. I definitely give it to that. I think he might not stand out in one particular martial art, but overall he’s tough. He’s gritty. And he’s not easy to put away, either. … This guy is there. He’s hungry and I know he’s going to be bring the fight, so this is an exciting fight for me.”

If Font, 34, can deny Vera, 29, in the upcoming clash, he would have a claim for another marquee matchup in the division. He had a lot of momentum prior to the loss to Aldo, and at one point was even offered an interim UFC title bout that he was unable to accept due to injury.

Font’s current energy isn’t directed on when he’ll fight for a belt, he said, because he knows it’s all predicated on winning this fight.

“Obviously this fight is one of those where we’re fighting backwards. That doesn’t necessarily catapult me to the title shot, which is whatever. I’m just trying to get my hand raised, try to get back to that win streak and we’ll see what happens after that.”

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New England Cartel leader Tyson Chartier explains how less-traveled road resulted in widespread success

Tyson Chartier has become one of MMA’s most notable coaches, despite not having a huge roster of fighters. Here he details his rise.

EVERETT, Mass. – [autotag]Tyson Chartier[/autotag] didn’t always plan to be a coach. It really was a transitional byproduct of being a good friend.

Originally a professional fighter himself, Chartier jokes MMA served more as a hobby where he could pretend he knew what he was doing. While that may or may not be true, the fact of the matter is, Chartier has established himself as one of MMA’s top-rising minds.

In 2009, Chartier began working with [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]. Six years later in 2015, [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] entered the fold. The rest was history. Chartier branded the trio the New England Cartel, a team with national notoriety but only a few members. Font and Kattar have become two of his best friends, as they’ve established themselves as headlining acts in the UFC. What’s the key to his success? His position as coach came after their relationship was already established, not vice versa.

“I was a few years older than these guys and I saw what they weren’t getting,” Chartier recently told MMA Junkie at Kattar-promoted Combat Zone 75. “I was like, ‘Oh, let me fill that hole. Let me do this. Let me help out.’ I was just trying to help my friends. Then, the next thing you know, I’m the one watching video. I’m the one cornering them in fights. I’m the one driving them to the weigh-ins. You build trust over that. They look around. It’s easy to see after a loss, who is in the room with you. It’s easy to see who also is there after a win. Then, you see who is there on the wins and not on the losses and put it all together. You see who your real circle is. Figuring that out over time.

“It’s tough, man. There are so many different ways to do this. This is how we do it, but the amount of trust we’ve built over time wasn’t an accident. But I can’t say 10 years ago, I said, ‘Oh, here’s our plan.’ I could say five years ago or four-and-a-half years ago after we broke off, this was the plan. That was only allowed to happen because of the work I put in for the five years before that when I wasn’t called a coach and I wasn’t anything. I was just the teammate trying to help.”

In a day and age where big mega-teams house dozens of UFC stars, Chartier keeps his circle small. There’s Font and Kattar, striking coach Jake Manini, wrestling coach John Deupree, rising prospects Tommy Pagliarulo and Nick Fiore. That’s it, but all that’s needed for the close-knit squad.

“To reach that highest point, and we haven’t even reached that, you have to have that extra relationship,” Chartier said. “You have to be there for the lows. You have to really, really appreciate the highs. You can’t go through these fight camps having no personal and emotional (relationships). My kids call these guys ‘Uncle.’ That doesn’t happen in a big camp, for the most part. The way we decided to start the Cartel and execute and what we train, a lot of coaches from big camps now are asking me how to run camps and this and that. A few years ago, I’d be like, ‘What do you do in this?’ Now, I feel like I finally get to that level where they’re like, ‘Let’s ask Tyson.’ They respect what we’re doing. Success doesn’t lie.”

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A “family atmosphere” in the gym leads to trust in the corner on fight night, an honor and responsibility Chartier doesn’t take for granted. While 99.9 percent of the time he puts his fighter into the spotlight, when asked, Chartier admits he feels proud of his accomplishments as a coach – even if he doesn’t flaunt it.

“My goal was just to help the fighters one decision and action at a time,” Chartier said. “Cumulatively over time, that turned into me living my dream here. I travel around the world with fighters and get to walk out on ESPN. The 12-year-old in me that used to watch the ESPN Top 10 every day, now we’re headlining cards on ESPN – and I’m doing it with my best friends. I’m going against some of the best coaches in the world and best fighters in the world.

“We’re executing and we’re where we belong. We earned this position through the vision that we had and the trust we had in each other and bringing in Jake and our wrestling coach, guys like that. I don’t feel like I work a day ever. I definitely feel blessed. My in-laws won’t agree. They’ll think I don’t have a job because I love it so much. I love what I do and it freaking beats sitting at a desk looking at tech sales all day.”

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Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera in the works to headline UFC Fight Night event on April 30

Top bantamweights are set to meet in an important UFC Fight Night main event.

A clash between two top bantamweights is in the works to headline a UFC Fight Night event on April 30.

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] will face [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in a five-round main event bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with sources following an initial report from ESPN.

Font (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), 34, will enter his third-straight main event in his first fight in 2022, looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo in December. Prior to the defeat, Font was riding hot on a four-fight streak with consecutive wins over Sergio Pettis, Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes, and Cody Garbrandt. Font currently holds the No. 7 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC), 29, gets his first main event opportunity on the heels of two straight wins over Davey Grant and Frankie Edgar. “Chito” stopped former lightweight champion Edgar in the third round with a front kick at UFC 268 in the statement performance of his career at Madison Square Garden.

With the addition, the lineup for Apr. 30 includes:

  • Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
  • Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
  • Daniel Silva vs. Francisco Figueiredo
  • Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Jake Collier vs. Justin Tafa
  • Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
  • Gabe Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
  • Rafael Alves vs. Jared Gordon
  • Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Tristan Connelly vs. Darren Elkins
  • Krzysztof Jotko vs. Gerald Meerschaert

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 7: Top bantamweights on the move

Get caught up with the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings ahead of this weekend’s action.

Top bantamweights across Bellator and UFC were in action this past week, and as a result, they are the focus of this week’s USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

On Friday at Bellator 272, [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] pulled off one of the best knockouts of the year in a comeback win over [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] to defend the Bellator bantamweight title for the first time. In Saturday’s main event at UFC on ESPN 31, [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] took care of business against [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag], keeping his name in the title picture.

This weekend, UFC 269 features two title fights and key matchups at the top of multiple divisions that could cause a shake-up in the next rankings update.

Check out where those fighters rank in the dropdown above and be sure to find out next week where things stand.

UFC on ESPN 31 medical suspensions: Jose Aldo, Rob Font face 180 days for facial fractures

As a result of their UFC on ESPN 31 bouts, Jose Aldo, Rob Font, and five other fighters are facing six-month bans.

UFC on ESPN 31 provided the violence Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but the highlights came with a price.

As a result of potential injuries sustained in their bouts, seven fighters were handed 180-day medical suspensions by the Nevada Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event.

Among those handed six-month terms were featherweight contenders [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who competed in the main event and suffered eye injuries as a result of their battle.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag], [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag], [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag], and [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag], who competed on the undercard, also were suspended 180 days for various potential injuries.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the official record keeper of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC). All fighters’ suspensions can terminate sooner, should they be cleared by a doctor.

Check out the full UFC on ESPN 31 medical suspensions below.

Spinning Back Clique: UFC-Bellator bantamweight supremacy, Paul-Woodley 2, UFC 269

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we look back at the UFC on ESPN 31 and Bellator 272 bantamweight headliners, as well as look ahead to the unexpected Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley rematch and this weekend’s UFC 269.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Nolan King, Matthew Wells and “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss these topics with host John Morgan.

  • This past weekend saw a couple of incredible bantamweight main events, starting [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag], who had a tough time with [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] but ultimately delivered a “Knockout of the Year” contender to retain his bantamweight title at Bellator 272. That belt is going up for grabs next year in a bantamweight grand prix, so let’s ask: Is Pettis the odds on favorite to retain the belt all the way through the tournament?
  • Meanwhile, over at UFC on ESPN 31, [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] proved he’s still very relevant at 135 pounds with a clear-cut decision win over [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]. After the fight, Aldo said a matchup with T.J. Dillashaw appeals to him next while they wait on the title unification bout between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Lot of great names at the top of that division, but Bellator president Scott Coker said his grand prix will determine the best 135 pounder in the world. The question: Is he right? Does Bellator have a better bantamweight division than the UFC right now?
  • Well, [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] was set to box Tommy Fury later this month in a fight that we wouldn’t have to care much about here at MMA Junkie, but now Fury is out, and former UFC champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] is getting the rematch he had been campaigning for since their first meeting. That’s right, just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in. Now that it’s a reality, how excited are you? And is there any way it goes differently than the first time?
  • The UFC’s final pay-per-view event of the year takes place this week with UFC 269, and two veterans top the bill, with [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] defending his lightweight title against [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]. Both of these guys are so deserving of the spotlight given their journeys in the sport, but who has more on the line here? Who might really be feeling the pressure Saturday night?
  • Outside of the main event, we have a stacked UFC 269 card, so which fight are you looking forward to most outside of the headliner and why?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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Rob Font: ‘I feel I can beat’ Jose Aldo despite UFC on ESPN 31 loss

Rob Font is confident he has the answers to Jose Aldo’s game, he just wasn’t able to execute at UFC on ESPN 31.

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] is confident he has the answers to Jose Aldo’s game; he just wasn’t able to put them together in the UFC on ESPN 31 main event.

Font (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) had his winning streak snapped Saturday when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Aldo (31-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC) in the bantamweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He had a strong start to the fight, but once his opponent started to find his range, it went downhill.

Aldo’s power proved to be the difference inside the octagon. He dropped Font twice over the course of 25 minutes, and any time Font started to gain some momentum, a hard shot would swing the action back the other way.

The strikes created a lot of damage around Font’s eye, and he said it compromised his vision to the point he struggled to see what was coming. If that didn’t happen, Font thinks it’d have been a different fight.

“He caught me with some clean shots I didn’t see, and it was hard to see that extra third and fourth shot with my eye all swollen up,” Font said during his in-cage interview with Daniel Cormier after the fight. “But the guy’s a legend. He’s tough. I feel I can beat him, but it just wasn’t my night. Hat’s off to him.”

Although he’s disappointed with the outcome, Font said he’s able to take positives away from the experience.

Going the distance with Aldo will provide nothing but valuable lessons to Font as he moves forward with his career, and even in the immediate aftermath of the fight, he was wise enough to realize the result will benefit him in the long run.

“I’ll be back,” Font said. “I know for a fact this will make me better, and I just went five rounds with one of the legends in the sport, and I’m going to get better off of this fight, for sure.

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Twitter reacts to Jose Aldo’s brilliant win over Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 31

See the top Twitter reactions to Jose Aldo’s dominant win over Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 31 main event.

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] continued to gain momentum in the bantamweight title picture Saturday when he beat [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 31 headliner.

Aldo (31-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC) extended his winning streak to three consecutive fights courtesy of a unanimous decision victory over Font (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in their main event matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN.

With the performance, Aldo put himself near the top of the queue for another shot at the 135-pound belt.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Aldo’s victory over Font at UFC on ESPN 31.

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