Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera is a special fighter. The UFC bantamweight star hails from Ecuador and is one of the handful of mixed martial artists from the picturesque South American country! Without much of a mixed martial arts infrastructure like, say, in Brazil or Mexico, ‘Chito’s first foray into the sport was as street fights, which he had quite a proclivity for as a teenager. Since he joined the UFC almost a decade ago, Vera has emerged as one of the most well-known bantamweights in the promotion, beloved by fans despite having a mixed record.

The reason? Vera’s iron chin. Throughout his professional MMA fights, which include nine losses, ‘Chito’ has never been stopped! Including Sean O’Malley‘s sickening knee to his chin in their UFC 299 rematch, which sounded like a baseball hitting his head, and had led to gasps from the audience. A true warrior, it is no wonder to see the Ecuadorian become a fan favorite. In this article, we take a look at Marlon Vera’s martial arts background and training situation.

Did Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera’s gym close down?

Marlon Vera started his martial arts journey as a sixteen-year-old in his native homeland with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. ‘Chito’ holds not only a black in the discipline but has used it to devastating effect throughout his career, securing over forty percent total wins via submissions. During this time, Vera got interested in mixed martial arts, which (through the UFC) was exploding in popularity around the same time.

At the age of 18, in 2010, the Ecuadorian took the leap and made his MMA debut, compiling an 8-1 record in the Latin American circuit, before being called to ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in 2014. Two years later, he was in the UFC. Vera used to train at the RVCA Training Center in Costa Mese, California from 2018 to 2023, when the gym was closed abruptly.

There were reports that this was because Authentic Brands Group acquired the parent company of the gym, Boardriders, and they decided to close down the training institute. While it is unknown where ‘Chito’ trains at the moment, he has continued his association with his long-time coach.

Marlon Vera’s coach and teammates

At the RVCA gym, Marlon Vera used to train under the legendary coach Jason Parillo, who has trained various MMA legends. Parillo has trained former UFC champion BJ Penn, former middleweight champs Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping, and Sean Strickland as well as former multiple-promotion champion Cris Cyborg, among others.

Parillo, an undefeated former boxer, specializes in striking, and his influence is clear in the improvements ‘Chito’ has made in his stand-up game since he started training with Parillo at RVCA in 2018.

At the moment, Vera serves more of a gatekeeper role, whom every emerging young bantamweight has to face to prove they are good enough for the highest level. However, given his legendary chin and an unbreakable will, it will not be a surprise to many fans if ‘Chito’, with his legendary endurance and iron, becomes champion one day.