Carlos Vera, a 36-year-old from Ecuador, is a classic case of “better late than never.” He’ll be making his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in a short-notice assignment. He’s going up against Daniel Marcos in the UFC Fight Night 233 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The two bantamweights have agreed to a 140-pound catchweight match.
Vera’s no stranger to the UFC scene though. He was a quarterfinalist on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. He trained under former two-division champion Conor McGregor. Unfortunately, he was eliminated after a unanimous decision loss to Brad Katona. But he’s not letting that get him down. He sees himself as a well-rounded threat.
Vera has a wide range of traditional martial arts experience. He’s trained in taekwondo, South American martial arts, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu for the last six years. He’s confident in his abilities, telling UFC.com, “I’ll go anywhere, and I’m very crafty. That’s the way I see it. It’s a very crafty style, and I’ll do whatever I can to win.”
He enters the Octagon with the strength of four consecutive victories under his belt. All of these wins came before his appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter.” His last fight was under the Fury Fighting Championship banner on Sept. 23, 2022. He put away Isaiah Gutierrez with a first-round guillotine choke. The 5-foot-6 Vera has secured five of his 11 career wins by submission.
He trains out of the Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy in Falls Church, Virginia. There, he serves as the gym’s striking coach and sharpens his skills under UFC veteran Ryan Hall. Hall, a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, won Season 22 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Vera’s first test is a tough one. He’s up against the undefeated Marcos. The Peruvian earned his UFC spot on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. He used devastating leg kicks and stellar takedown defense to secure a unanimous decision over Brandon Lewis. Marcos has since won back-to-back victories over Saimon Oliveira and Davey Grant. His record now stands at an impressive 15-0. Before joining the UFC, Marcos was a bantamweight champion in Peru’s 300 Sparta organization.
In other news, two other UFC rookies, Rayanne Amanda dos Santos and Talita Alencar, are set to face off. They’ll be competing in a three-round women’s strawweight prelim. Dos Santos has won seven of her past eight bouts. Her only loss was a decision defeat to Denise Gomes on DWCS in August 2022. She last fought on May 3, capturing the Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight crown with a unanimous decision over Jillian DeCoursey.
Dos Santos, 28, has won more than half of her 14 pro victories by submission, seven of them via armbar. Alencar, on the other hand, is entering her company debut with a 4-0-1 record. The unbeaten 33-year-old Brazilian last fought on DWCS in September. She ended up with a unanimous draw with Stephanie Luciano. Alencar has also competed in the Titan Fighting Championship and Legacy Fighting Alliance promotions.