"Immigrant mentality" - Marlon Vera opens up in heartwarming victory speech at UFC 331

Marlon Vera put forth a heartwarming victory speech after his most recent professional MMA matchup, which came at the UFC 331 event at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on September 19. 

The veteran fighter, who's a one-time UFC bantamweight championship challenger, is known for his composure and stoicism. Nevertheless, he appeared to provide fight fans with a glimpse into his emotional side as well, basking in the glory of his incredible technical knockout win at UFC 331. 

Marlon Vera scores TKO of Charles Jourdain; gives heartwarming victory speech at UFC 331

Marlon Vera was on a four-fight losing streak going into his much-awaited bantamweight clash against Charles Jourdain at UFC 331. On the contrary, his Canadian opponent was on a three-fight winning streak and primed to continue his ascent in the 135-pound ranks. 

That wasn't to be, however, as Vera rallied after a tame round one to score multiple knockdowns en route to a third-round TKO victory over Jourdain. 

During his post-fight Octagon interview with podcast mogul and longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, Vera agreed with his take that he needed the win. The Ecuador-born U.S.-based bantamweight staple cited his immigrant mentality and other elements as key factors in his ability to win after a string of setbacks. 

Vera stated, "I needed that... You know, four in a row, four decisions -- like, I have never put an excuse in my life. I have never blamed a person or anything. I just -- my faith, my strength, my heart, my immigrant mentality, which is the most important thing that I have. For my family, for my kids, I'm here for another run." 

He added, "I've been training hard. I haven't changed that. Sometimes, things don't go your way. But if you dig deep, you put the shadows and the demons aside, the voices in your head, everything is possible in life." 

Additionally, "Chito" asserted that he's simply happy that he was able to demonstrate that through an example and hard work. He also acknowledged the LA crowd, who cheered in response. 

The 33-year-old alluded to the changes in his camp, having parted ways with Jason Parillo whom he'd long trained under and now training at his own gym with Raul Rosas Jr. and the Rosas family. Vera expressed his respect for his coaches -- including a pair of old coaches he brought back -- and teammates who helped him for his crucial fight at UFC 331. 

Watch Marlon "Chito" Vera engage in a moving conversation with Joe Rogan below (*comments at the 0:33-minute mark of the video): 

Marlon Vera is expected to enter the UFC bantamweight top 15 in the imminent rankings update

Marlon Vera was on the cusp of capturing the UFC bantamweight title back in 2024, as he faced then-champion "Sugar" Sean O'Malley in a rematch. He'd previously beaten the American in a leg-injury-induced TKO in their non-title matchup back in 2020. However, their second encounter saw O'Malley level the score with a unanimous decision win. 

Vera subsequently dropped a unanimous decision verdict to ex-UFC flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo, a split decision against Aiemann Zahabi last year, and then a unanimous decision to David Martinez earlier this year. 

The four-fight skid notwithstanding, he's now back in the win column by impressively beating Charles Jourdain, who's currently No. 12 in the UFC bantamweight division, per the official Meta UFC rankings. Ergo, the consensus is that the upcoming rankings update would witness Vera re-enter the bantamweight top 15.