What’s next for Marlon Vera and Rob Font after UFC Vegas 53?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 53, a bantamweight bout headlined the card as Marlon Vera was looking to break into the top-five against Rob Font.

Vera entered the fight coming off a KO win over Frankie Edgar back at UFC 268, this after defeating Davey Grant by decision to get back into the win column after losing to Jose Aldo. He also holds a notable win over Sean O’Malley, which is the only time ‘Suga‘ has lost.

Font, meanwhile, was coming off a main event loss to Jose Aldo back in December which snapped his four-fight win streak. During that run, he had beaten Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, Ricky Simon, and Sergio Pettis.

In the end, it was Vera winning by decision as he controlled the fight and hurt Font badly on a number of occasions. Now, after UFC Vegas 53 here is what I think should be next for Vera and Font.

Marlon Vera

Marlon Vera had his first UFC main event and was the betting underdog heading into the fight but ended up pulling out the win. After dropping the first round, he started to find his groove and landed some big shots, and ended up dropping three times to get the win.

After the win, Vera called for a rematch against Jose Aldo which I don’t think happens given the fight only happened a year-and-a-half ago. Aldo, as well, will look to fight for the belt or be in a number one contender bout. Vera, meanwhile, is still likely a win or two away from fighting for the belt and the most logical matchup is facing Cory Sandhagen next.

Vera didn’t take a ton of damage and could return in the summer in a main event fight against Sandhagen. The winner could also get a title shot with the win.

Rob Font

Rob Font has now suffered two straight main event losses and will need another step down in competition.

Font has taken a ton of damage in the past two fights and will need to take multiple months off to heal, which could be for the rest of the year. With that, the bantamweight division will look much different after his loss to Vera and the time off. When he returns, a fight against Song Yadong makes sense as Font will need to prove he belongs near the top-five.

What do you think should be next for Marlon Vera and Rob Font after UFC Vegas 53?