Preview: UFC on ESPN 25 ‘Jung vs. Ige’

Bantamweights

#15 BW | Marlon Vera (16-7-1, 10-6 UFC) vs. NR | Davey Grant (13-4, 4-3 UFC)

ODDS: Vera (-230), Grant (+190)

For the first time in years, Grant’s career has some momentum. The Englishman fell short against Chris Holdsworth in the “The Ultimate Fighter 18” final in November 2013, then became a complete afterthought due to injuries and inactivity. Between that November 2013 debut and his fight against Grigory Popov in November 2019, Grant only made it to the Octagon three times. Starting with the Popov fight, Grant has been able to live up to his “Dangerous” moniker with some unexpected regularity, scoring knockouts over Martin Day and Jonathan Martinez. That run has earned Grant a big shot against a familiar opponent, as he will face Vera—a man he defeated in 2016—in a rematch.

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Ecuador’s Vera started his UFC career as a promising but raw prospect after the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America,” but “Chito” started putting things together almost immediately after the Grant loss. Vera went the route of fighting as frequently as possible and obviously improved from fight to fight, which eventually coalesced into a five-fight winning streak during which he was able to prove his viability in every phase of the sport. After dropping a narrow decision to Yadong Song in 2020, Vera rebounded with the biggest win of his career, derailing the considerable hype behind Sean O'Malley with a first-round stoppage. After falling short against Jose Aldo, Vera looks to regroup and affirm his progress against Grant. While he is well-rounded, Grant does not really have the connective tissue to his game that helps him dictate the terms of his fights, and the 2016 version of Vera gave him a lot of gifts in terms of pulling guard and putting himself in disadvantageous positions. Vera is a much smarter fighter now. While Grant might be able to press the issue a few times over the course of this bout, Vera’s savvy and durability mean that he should be able to keep the Englishman at bay; and even if the fight goes to the mat like their first bout, Vera might even be the better grappler this time around. The pick is Vera via decision.

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