The second of three ranked vs. ranked matchups on this week’s UFC Fight Night is No. 7 Marlon “Chito” Vera vs. No. 9 Aiemann Zahabi. Zahabi is the sixth Canadian competing on this card. The former title challenger, Vera, has lost back-to-back fights and hasn’t won a bout since August 2023. Vera is also coming off a long hiatus, as his last contest came against Deiveson Figueiredo 14 months ago.
Check out my best bet for Marlon Vera vs. Aiemann Zahabi at this week’s UFC Fight Night.
Marlon Vera Moneyline (+110)
After a year away while being on a two-fight skid, Vera is in dire need of a victory against Zahabi. Vera won four consecutive contests from 2021 to 2022 with wins over former champions Frankie Edgar, Dominick Cruz, and Rob Font. But since that win streak ended, Vera hasn’t found success in the UFC Octagon, primarily because he has fought passively and hasn’t shown the urgency needed to win fights.
On the other hand, Zahabi is riding a six-fight win streak and is coming off the most significant victory of his career against former title holder, Jose Aldo. Zahabi is nearing his 38th birthday and is five years older than Vera. This is a close fight and the odds agree, as Zahabi is a slight -130 favorite while Vera is a +110 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Some fighters have early primes, and that may be the case with “Chito,” but he has been facing extremely tough competition for a long time. Vera has fought former champions in back-to-back fights, and although Zahabi is on a good run, he doesn’t enter this fight as accomplished as Vera’s past opponents.
If Vera uses his two-inch reach advantage to his benefit, he should be able to get the better of Zahabi on the feet. Vera is the more accurate striker (49% vs. 46%), but Zahabi averages more significant strikes per minute (4.42 vs. 4.27). If we see the same aggressive version of “Chito” who knocked out two former champions, he is capable of pulling off the upset against Zahabi.
