Rob Font (#5) and Marlon Vera (#8) are two exciting mixed martial artists. This fight is about Font’s solid combination of positioning and punches vs Vera’s solid combination of pressure and kicks.
Font’s Strengths
- Good boxing
- Good octagon awareness
- Good timing
- Good feints
- Good defensive grappling
Vera’s Strengths
- Good kicks
- Good grappling
- Good fighting spirit
- Cardio
- Good pressure
What does Font need to do to win?
Rob Font is one of the best strikers in the bantamweight division, in particular, his boxing is very good. Font possesses a good sense of timing and does a great job of positioning himself relative to his opponents and the cage. In addition, he does a good job of cutting corners and putting himself in advantageous positions, where he can put pressure and counter at the same time. With that being said, he does tend to have a narrow stance, which can be detrimental when fighting against a solid kicker like Vera. To win against Vera requires Font to make his position a number one priority. Because Font’s primary weapons are his hands and Vera’s primary weapons are his legs – there will be a space where Vera can land kicks and Font can land punches but Vera won’t be able to land punches. This is a place where Font must operate his striking game from. Vera will most likely be kicking a lot, Font needs to check or block those kicks then utilize a jab or straight right away to put Vera into defensive mode (Vera will most likely put his hands up) and that’s when Font needs to dig Vera’s body. Once Font lands enough body shots, there will be more openings for head strikes as well.
What does Vera need to do to win?
Similar to Font, Vera is also one of the best strikers in the bantamweight division. However, unlike Font, who primarily utilizes his positioning and punches, Vera does his best work with pressure and kicks. To win against Font requires Vera to stay on the outside kickboxing range as much as possible. Vera must operate from a place where he can land kicks but nothing else from either side. It’s very important for Vera to kick Font’s legs (especially in the early rounds), doing this will make it much harder for Font to move and utilize his positioning – making Font much more stationary and easier to hit. Furthermore, Vera needs to utilize his pressure to negate Font’s positioning – but from the outside range. Once Vera lands enough leg kicks, there will be more openings for head and body shots as well.
Prediction
Font’s solid combination of positioning and punches vs Vera’s solid combination of pressure and kicks are both highly effective methods. This is a 50/50 fight and I think it will be a close one. With that being said, when all things equal, positions usually have a small advantage over pressure, therefore, I’m leaning toward Font to get the W on this one.
Date: Saturday, April 30 // Main Card Start Time: 7 PM EDT // Watch It On: ESPN+
