Over the course of his three years in the UFC, bantamweight Marlon Vera has managed to win four of six fights, including his last three in a row.
Vera credits the time he’s put in at the gym as the main reason for his success.
“I believe in hard work,” Vera told MMAWeekly.com. “I believe I am doing everything that is in my hands to win a fight. I spend time in the gym and do everything my coaches tell me. I try to listen to my coaches and go forward from there.
“The main thing is the hard work and keeping focused at all times. When a fighter has motivation and is hungry, things happen. I believe in keeping myself hungry and motivated every day.”
Vera (12-3-1) will seek to keep his winning streak going when he takes on John Lineker (29-8) in a main card 135-pound bout on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“This next fight is always the most important fight to me,” said Vera. “If I take the fight, it means I really believe I can win the fight. I believe in what my coaches trained me for. I’m going to do what I have to do.
“I really don’t think (Lineker) can beat me. I personally think he’s a one-dimensional fighter. I believe I have more weapons. I believe in myself. It will be a big surprise, because nobody expects me to win in this fight, but I’m actually thinking about winning this fight and doing it in a really cool way.”
Though he has placed himself in a position to make a run at the top of the bantamweight division, Vera is focused solely on his bout on Oct. 28 and he will embrace what good comes of it afterward.
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“I’m not setting this up in my mind that if I win this fight I will get the title shot,” Vera said. “I want to win this fight and that’s it. What comes next will come next.
“I’m thinking of winning fights, not a title, not money, because you have to put your mind on the hard work. The hard work is what matters. It’s all about fighting and winning for me. Of course, I want to be a world champion, that’s why I’m doing everything, but I want to be a better fighter.”
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