Marlon “Chito” Vera

Marlon “Chito” Vera may still be rising through the ranks as a UFC athlete, but he’s already a major celebrity in his native Ecuador. After Vera’s latest win, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso sent his congrats on Twitter to over 890,000 followers: “¡Felicidades Chito!” Born and raised in Chone, Ecuador, Marlon Vera made his professional MMA debut in February 2012 and instantly started shaking up local promotions across Latin America. In 2014, the Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu‎ appeared as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America reality television show and made his official UFC debut as the first Ecuadorian athlete in promotion history later that year. Since then, the versatile fighter blessed with accurate striking and undeniable ground control has made a name for himself as one of the top finishers in his weight class. His eight stoppage victories in UFC bantamweight competition are currently tied for the record of most stoppages in divisional history. Next up, Vera wants to add a title to his growing list of accomplishments. He’s already put the top fighters in the bantamweight division on notice, so follow closely as Vera continues his rise to the top!