Marlon Vera opens up about split with Jason Parillo, reveals new camp before UFC 331 return

Marlon Vera has shed light on the changes he's made in his training ahead of his imminent return to the Octagon.

"Chito" asserted that he's parted ways with his longtime coach, Jason Parillo, who's also notably trained fighters like former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and reigning UFC women's strawweight champ Mackenzie Dern. 

Marlon Vera has split from Coach Jason Parillo and is training with Raul Rosas Jr. and family

During his latest appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Marlon Vera affirmed that he's now training with fellow UFC bantamweight star Raul Rosas Jr. Well, Rosas Jr., who's regarded as one of the top young prospects in MMA, is booked to face Raoni Barcelos in the headlining match of UFC Vegas 121 on September 26. 

Apparently, Vera's gym in Costa Mesa, California, is being utilized as the center of their training operations, with Rosas Jr.'s father playing a crucial role in regard to organizing everyone's training. 

Vera suggested that he's even brought in his former wrestling and kickboxing coaches to help revamp his training. The 33-year-old harked back to his and Rosas Jr.'s respective submission grappling matches against Jean Silva and Deiveson Figueiredo at Hype Brazil in April. He indicated that speaking to and gradually training with the 21-year-old led to his developing a bond with the Rosas family. 

UFC 331 fighter Marlon Vera suggests he had no issues with Jason Parillo, but a change was needed

Elsewhere during his conversation with Ariel Helwani, Marlon Vera cleared the air regarding any rift between himself and Jason Parillo. The one-time UFC bantamweight championship challenger implied that -- following his unanimous decision defeat to David Martinez at UFC Mexico in February -- he simply needed a change. 

The Ecuadorian fighter, who's long lived in California, stated, "And then him (Raul Rosas Jr.), his family, and his team -- they pretty much moved to California in a way. So we've been training since then together in my gym. And I guess that was the big change that I made from back then to now."

When asked whether he was still training with Jason Parillo, Vera said, "No. After the Mexico fight, we went back to training. And, like I said, I was trying to figure it out -- what I need, and what is not getting me to win these close decisions."

He added, "It was a pretty hard decision. Because I don't know -- we didn't have a problem, or nothing bad happened."

The striking savant signaled that saying goodbye to one's longtime trainer isn't easy, adding that he didn't want to go right to the end of his career and then regret not having tried something different. Also, Vera vowed to break out of the four-fight losing streak he's currently on. 

Presently, Vera is scheduled to face Charles Jourdain in a much-awaited bantamweight matchup at UFC 331 on September 19.

Furthermore, "Chito" is also booked to take on former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a submission grappling match under the Hype FC banner on October 4. Aldo, intriguingly, boasts a unanimous decision victory over him in their bantamweight MMA clash in the UFC in 2020. 

Watch Marlon Vera discuss the changes he's brought about in his camp ahead of UFC 331 below (*comments at the 5:45-minute mark of the video):