Jose Aldo Secures First 135lb Win Against Marlon Vera

In the UFC Vegas 17 co-main event Jose Aldo goes in search of his first bantamweight win against #15 ranked Marlon Vera.

Round 1: They touch gloves and this fight is underway. Jose Aldo is pushing forward. Marlon Vera is on his toes and throwing low leg kicks. Aldo tries to swing big power punches but ‘Chito’ ducks under them and shoots in for the takedown. He has Aldo pushed up against the cage. Not a lot is happening right now. Both men are exchanging small shots but besides that its something of a stalemate. Aldo eventually reverses the position before separating. Aldo lands a beautiful body shot. And another! Vera throws a high kick, it blocked. Aldo rattles the body again. The former featherweight king follows it up with one of his patented leg kicks. Another shot to the body. Vera goes high with the kick again. Aldo uses the gap to rattle several punches before finishing with a leg kick before the first round ends.

Round 2: Vera more aggressive at the start of round two. He lands some nice shots before Aldo backs him up with a big swing towards the midsection. Aldo jumps in with a left hook that knocks Vera off balance. ‘Chito’ is hammering away to the legs with kicks and stomps. Aldo lands straight down the middle before following up with two body shots. Vera lands a nice spinning back fist before pushing the fight up against the fence. Once again it’s something of a stalemate against the fence. Vera tries for the trip but Aldo is savvy too it and manages to land a knee off the clinch. A brief return to the striking range before Vera closes it and looks to clinch and wrestle against the fence. ‘Chito’ lands some nice shots as they separate and the horn sounds to end round two.

Round 3: Vera comes flying out but Aldo uses the momentum to take his back. He’s trying to get this fight to the floor. Vera touches down and Aldo jumps up to secure the position. Vera is trying to shake him off but is unsuccessful. Aldo now has full control with the body triangle locked in. Lot’s of hand fighting right now as Aldo hunts for that choke finish and Vera battles to stop it. The body triangle remains locked on as round three ticks away. ‘Chito’ stands up with pure power but Aldo still has the back and shows no sign of letting it go. The fight falls back to the mat. Vera cannot get out of this position. He’s hitting Aldo with short shots but they aren’t really meaningful. Aldo maintains the position until the final horn sounds.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Jose Aldo def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision