Marlon Vera Reflects on His Path to The UFC

– Marlon Vera recently spoke with mmajunkie.com, here are the highlights…

On Becoming a Fighter: “Fighting was always first for me, I don’t know why. Nobody in my family is a fighter. Nobody in my family trains. But I don’t know, I was born with that. Probably, God put me in this world for this – to be a world champion someday. I don’t know why I like this. Nobody in my family was a street fighter, nobody was a gangster. So I really don’t know why.”

On His Dream: “My biggest dream is to keep winning fights and headline in Ecuador,” Vera said. “That’s going to be dope. Every time I’m fighting, the country gets wild. They put huge TVs on the street. They do big things, my family throws parties. If I’m running in the street, people yell nice things from cars. I like the vibes. Latin American people, they recognize when you do something good. They’re happy, and they’re proud. ”

On Wishing His Grandfather Could Watch Him Fight: “I wish my grandpa was healthy enough to watch my fights,” Vera said. “That was a tough man before. He was into rooster fights. I’m pretty sure if his brain was healthy today, he would be yelling at the TV. That’s one of my biggest things, because I’m pretty sure he was supposed to be the biggest fan. He isn’t able to do much. But it’s OK. At least my dad can enjoy it.”

On Joining Team Oyama: “After my fight in Australia (Vera beat Guangyou Ning at UFC Fight Night 101), I made some money,” Vera said. “So I brought them here. It was really hard, doing everything by myself and being without my kids. Now, everything is together. It’s all just motivation and happiness in my life. That’s why I can go and fight, no problem. I know how to fight, but if my mind is not correct, I can’t do the right things. My family is with me. My kids are happy. I just go in there and have fun. Fighting is fun for me. I started fighting because I liked to do it. Nobody starts fighting because of the fame and the money. My family is good. That’s why I’m fighting like that today.”