Vera Felt 'Demons Knocking' Before UFC 331 Win

Marlon Vera felt demons at the door before his knockout win over Charles Jourdain at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.

The former bantamweight title challenger was riding a career-worst four-fight losing streak heading into Saturday's prelim bout. Vera dropped Jourdain in the third round, prompting the Canadian to wave off the fight after his vision went dark. "Lost my eyesight in the third," Jourdain wrote on Instagram afterward, per Sherdog. "I waved the fight 'cause I don't need to receive more strikes to the head."

Vera told reporters at the post-fight press conference that the pressure had mounted during his losing run, which started with a unanimous decision loss to Sean O'Malley at UFC 299 in March 2024. Three more decision defeats followed against Deiveson Figueiredo, Aiemann Zahabi, and David Martinez. "Walking into the locker room, walking into warming up, there was a lot of demons just knocking the door and kicking the door," Vera said, as MMA Fighting first reported. "I was just like, 'F*ck you, man. I've got to feed my family.'"

The Ecuadorian switched camps before UFC 331, leaving longtime head coach Jason Parillo to work with Raul Rosas Jr. and his brothers. Vera credited his new team with saving his career. "With another loss tonight I wouldn't be able to handle that as a man," he said. "I would literally be looking for a job on Monday because I don't want to lose that many times in a row." He added that his body reacted differently this time around, running hot from the moment he arrived at the arena in a way he hadn't felt since early in his career.

Vera now holds a 16-11 record inside the octagon across 27 UFC appearances. Jourdain had won three straight at bantamweight after dropping down from featherweight before the loss.