- Close
ESPN Staff Writer- Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
Saturday's UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas is headlined by a battle of bantamweights looking to put their names in the hat for a title shot against current champion Aljamain Sterling.
Rob Font, ranked No. 6 in ESPN's bantamweight rankings, looks to recapture some of his momentum after losing to Jose Aldo five months prior. Before that, Font had won four consecutive fights.
Marlon Vera, ranked No. 10 in ESPN's bantamweight rankings, tries to make another significant step forward with his third straight UFC win. Vera's last loss was also to Aldo, back in December 2020.
ESPN's Marc Raimondi reached out to get a coach's perspective on this matchup between the two well-rounded fighters in the division. ESPN's betting expert Ian Parker and Reed Kuhn added their insights for everything from the main event to some intriguing bets they like lower down the card.
Bantamweight: Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
Ray Longo, LAW MMA head coach
How Font wins: Utilize the jab like he always does and look for the right hand. This is an excellent matchup. Matchmaking-wise, it's great. But it's not an easy fight for Font. He has to steal rounds with his jab and not get hit, which will be tough with Vera likely mixing in calf kicks, boxing and takedowns. Font has to control the fight with his jab, which is excellent, and then look for the right hand sporadically. I'd love to see him mix in some takedowns and steal a few rounds late. From an experience perspective, Font has fought former champs like Jose Aldo and Cody Garbrandt, so you could argue he has had a better quality of opponent.
