Marlon “Chito” Vera walked into UFC Mexico saying he needed to start faster. That was his goal heading into the clash against David Martinez.

“I mean, I got power, I got good reflexes, I got good instincts,” Vera told MMA Fighting ahead of the fight, “so that’s what I’m going to put in play this week and just let it go. Just be free again.”

Instead, he walked out with another 29-28 on the wrong side of the scorecards and a fanbase that didn’t know whether to defend him or lose patience.

David Martinez, the hometown fighter with a medical degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a background with the Bonebreakers MMA Team, outworked Vera over three rounds to earn a unanimous decision in the UFC Mexico co-main event. It marked Vera’s fourth straight decision loss. For a fighter who challenged for the bantamweight title just two years ago, that stat is stunning.

From the opening bell, Martinez moved like a man who understood the assignment. He circled early, popped calf kicks, and darted in with quick combinations before exiting. Marlon Vera took the center, switched stances, and tried to track him down. But Martinez controlled the geography. In Round 1, he even caught a kick, dumped ‘Chito’ to the canvas, and closed the frame with ground-and-pound from inside closed guard.

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Round 2 looked similar. Martinez stayed sharp and elusive, digging to the body and snapping Vera’s head back with fast hands. Vera landed moments, a solid jab here, a body kick there, but he struggled to cut off the cage. By Round 3, Martinez slowed. Vera finally pressed, and his coach, Jason Parillo, even urged his fighter to go for broke. With 90 seconds left, the Ecuadorian opened up and appeared to buzz Martinez briefly. But ‘El Doctor’ stayed composed, circled out, and let the seconds tick down to the end.

Now 3-0 in the UFC, Martinez looks like a real contender at 135 pounds. Vera, meanwhile, falls to 23-12-1 overall and has now lost four straight decisions to Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 (5 rounds), Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC on ABC 7 (3 rounds), Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Fight Night 262 (split, 3 rounds), and now Martinez at UFC Mexico. And fans had plenty to say.

Marlon Vera’s performance against David Martinez at UFC Mexico lands him in hot water with the fans

One fan wrote, “Me trying to watch a Chito Vera fight without getting pi— off.” The frustration isn’t about effort. It’s about timing. Marlon Vera often surges late. But in three-round fights, late urgency can’t erase early inactivity.

Another pushed back with, “That is nowhere close to the end of Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.” And they’re not wrong. Vera is just 33. He’s durable, experienced, and still competitive against top names. He’s not getting finished, but he is losing tight decisions. That’s a different problem than decline, one that might need a different approach to fix. What do you think?

Then came the sarcasm as this fan wrote, “Robbery. Chito Vera was destroying the fists of Martinez with his Iron Head of Ecuador leading him to having no output in round 3. Martinez ate every bait that Chitos jaw was showing, judges got it wrong in my estimation. Onward.” That’s a nod to Vera’s toughness. He absorbs shots and keeps marching. But eating punches isn’t scoring points. Judges reward effective offense, not chin durability.

One fan broke it down bluntly as they said, “Death. Taxes. Vera losing a 29-28 decision. Being the coach of this guy has to be torturous. Every fight if he gets going a couple mins sooner in Rd2 he’s probably has 4 less losses. I just don’t understand it.” That’s the theme now. Since 2024, every loss of Vera’s has gone to the cards. Four straight isn’t a small number. When you consistently leave fights in the judges’ hands, you risk leaving your fate there, too.

And finally, this fan added, “Roster watch: Chito Vera has been removed from the ufc roster for not knowing how to throw a combo.” It’s sarcasm, but it’s laced with truth. Against David Martinez, Vera struggled to string punches together consistently. Martinez was darting in with two- and three-punch combinations, then circling out. Vera often responded with single shots, but he didn’t layer attacks early enough. When he finally opened up in Round 3, it looked dangerous. The problem? By then, he was already down two rounds.

Bantamweight isn’t forgiving, but it’s also built on adjustments. If Marlon Vera truly does “let it go” earlier, if he layers offense instead of relying on durability and late surges, the story could change quickly. We’ve seen fighters reinvent themselves before. But the window doesn’t stay open forever.