In case it wasn’t already clear, when Marlon Vera beat Sean O’Malley in the co-main event of UFC 252, he punched his ticket to bigger things. While the bout appeared to be a prime launching pad for O’Malley’s bid at MMA stardom, Vera ended up reaping the rewards via a first round TKO. A big payoff for years of investment.
Vera first entered the UFC back in 2014, as one of the also-rans of TUF Latin America season 1. For several years he traded wins and losses, including a nice three-fight streak that included victories over Brad Pickett and Brian Kelleher—but which was immediately ended by back to back losses to John Lineker and Douglas Andrade.