Charles Jourdain praises Marlon Vera ahead of UFC 331
The Canadian fighter is expecting a dangerous opponent despite Marlon Vera's four-fight losing streak.
Charles Jourdain knows better than to underestimate Marlon Vera. The Canadian fighter will face the former UFC bantamweight title challenger at UFC 331 and believes Vera remains a dangerous opponent despite his recent struggles.
Jourdain will look to hand Vera a fifth consecutive loss when they meet on Saturday in Los Angeles. However, the Canadian does not expect the fight to be easy and believes Vera's experience against elite competition makes him a serious threat.
Charles Jourdain Refuses to Underestimate Marlon Vera
Vera has been struggling lately. Since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Sean O'Malley in their title fight at UFC 299, "Chito" hasn't been able to win a bout and is now riding a four-fight losing streak. Despite his recent setbacks, Jourdain pointed out that the Ecuadorian has never been finished in the UFC and has competed against some of the best fighters in the division.
Speaking during UFC 331 media day on Wednesday, the Canadian explained why he believes it would be foolish to treat Vera as an easy opponent.
"You cannot be in the UFC and treat a former world title challenger as a guy who's going down," Jourdain said. "I don't think it's possible. He didn't get knocked out, didn't get finished in all those fights. Some of those were razor-thin close. Some of them, I thought he won, as well. Chito is dangerous even though he's 33 and on a four-fight losing streak. It would be very stupid for me to think it's a walk in the park."
Charles Jourdain Respects Marlon Vera's Finishing Ability
Jourdain also highlighted Vera's ability to end fights before the final bell. While some fighters in the UFC's top 15 focus on winning fights, the Canadian sees Vera as someone who is always looking for a finish.
"He's the type of fighter who doesn't have 15 minutes to win," Jourdain said. "He has 15 minutes to finish you. This is something I respect in the division because when you have some fighters in the top-15, some of them know how to win. Him, he knows how to finish you before the bell. I highly respect Chito and this why when Mr. (Sean) Shelby said, 'You're fighting Chito Vera,' I was like, 'OK, here we go.'"
Jourdain is currently riding a three-fight winning streak and will look to extend it against one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC's bantamweight division.
