Marlon Vera threw his monster bottle at UFC Vancouver and stormed out of the Octagon because he was in absolute disbelief following the decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi. The former title challenger’s frustration on Saturday night was directed straight toward the three judges who scored the bout in favor of the Canadian fighter.
The worst part? It marks Vera’s third consecutive defeat, extending the worst skid of his UFC career.
Marlon Vera Storms Out After Controversial Loss at UFC Vancouver
Vera raised his arms like he’d won the moment the final bell sounded. Chito clearly thought he’d done enough to get the nod in the main card bout. With 100% confidence, he clutched a Monster bottle when the scorecards were read. Sadly, two cageside judges disagreed with his assessment.
The Ecuadorian was absolutely shocked by the final verdict. He immediately threw the bottle hard to the canvas and stepped toward the exit. An official blocked his path, forcing him to use the opposite cage door. Vera refused to acknowledge Zahabi or participate in any post-fight formalities.
Those who followed the entire match knew the controversy stemmed from Round 2. Vera dropped Zahabi with a sharp jab that visibly hurt the Canadian. Chito stalked his wounded opponent but never pulled the trigger. He seemed content to let Zahabi recover instead of finishing the sequence. Shortly after, Zahabi regained his bearings and returned strong late in the frame.
Both fighters landed an equal number of significant strikes over three rounds. Still, Zahabi’s higher volume and constant pressure in the third round likely helped him win on the judges’ scorecards.
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This controversial defeat drops Vera to three straight losses following setbacks against Sean O’Malley and Deiveson Figueiredo. The 3-year-old now faces valid questions regarding his future in the division, given the darkest stretch of his 11-year UFC run.
MMA Fans React to Canadian Judging Controversy
The split decision immediately led to endless chatter on social media. MMA fans didn’t hold back their opinions on the scorecards.
“He is absolutely getting robbed. Judges are like this is Canada bro,” one fan wrote. The home-cage advantage was clearly on everyone’s mind. Another added, “Chito 29-28. Another garbage decision in Canada, stunning.”
The complaints kept rolling in, with the third noting, “UFC Canada is straight up TRASH judging. I haven’t been watching much UFC recently because of shit like this. Decided to watch tonight and knew Chito was going to get screwed even after he had the dude on queer street stumbling all over the place.”
Not everyone agreed it was highway robbery though. A fourth claimed, “People calling robbery. I had Chito winning but it could’ve went either way. Maybe if Chito was a bit more active like he said he’d be in his fights, he wouldn’t lose via split decision.”
Several fans punished Chito for his Round 2 hesitation. His failure to capitalize on the knockdown became the focal point.
One explained, “Chito Vera lost the fight the moment he decided that he didn’t want to finish the fight in round 2. He has no reason to be mad. He stopped fighting half way through the fight. He does that every fight. I never bet on him because it’s the same old story every fight.”
With the win, Zahabi extended his win streak to seven, including his earlier victory over Jose Aldo. The Tristar Gym product called for a shot at Sean O’Malley in his post-fight interview.
Meanwhile, Vera’s career sits at a crossroads. Getting angry after the loss might hurt his chances with the UFC bosses. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope nothing bad happens.
Main Photo Credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
