Main event UFC on ESPN 41
The fight will take place on August 14 in San Diego (California, USA) at the Pechanga Arena and will become the main event of the UFC on ESPN 41 tournament. The estimated start of the fight is 04:30 Kyiv time. The fight will be broadcast live on Setanta Sports.
No. 5 UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera (19-7-1) will fight former UFC bantamweight champion Dominic Cruz (24-3), who is now 8th in the mentioned rating.
Vera, after a surprise knockout victory over Sean O’Malley, was defeated by Jose Aldo at the end of 2020 and has been winning ever since. Vera won a decision against Davey Grant, knocked out Frankie Edgar and in April 2022 passed a unanimous decision after five rounds of Rob Font.
Cruz is on a two win streak. Last year, the 37-year-old veteran beat Casey Kenny and Pedro Muñoz on points.
Prediction for the fight
Cruz is a versatile soldier with virtually no weaknesses. Its main disadvantages are age and multiple injuries in the past. Vera is also good in many aspects of the fight and due to his better cardio, he is likely to be the aggressor. Cruz has something to offer him in the work as number two, Dominik is technically much better equipped, his footwork will bring a lot of trouble to the enemy, but the age of the ex-UFC champion can play against him.
It is likely that Cruz will outplay the opponent, but it is not known how the fight will turn out in the final rounds. If Vera does not catch the veteran with some kind of killer punch or kick, she risks losing on points. Still, we will give preference to the “Dominator”.
Cruz win on points
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