UFC Vancouver fighter calls robbery following third straight loss

One fighter who competed on the UFC Vancouver card believes he was snubbed.

One of the key bouts at UFC Vancouver was a bantamweight tilt between Marlon “Chito” Vera and Aiemann Zahabi. Vera and Zahabi had a competitive three-round affair. Zahabi won the fight via split decision.

After the fight, “Chito” posted on his Instagram account, and it’s clear he does not think the judges got it right.

“Sometimes things can get really dark,” Vera posted shortly after the fight on social media. “But not giving up will get you light. Don’t get it twisted I won tonight we got robbed in Canada.”

Vera hasn’t walked out of the Octagon with a win since Aug. 2023 when he defeated Pedro Munhoz. Since then, “Chito” has fallen short against Sean O’Malley, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Zahabi.

Vera was the No. 7-ranked UFC bantamweight going into his UFC Vancouver bout. Zahabi was the No. 9-ranked 135-pounder, and he’ll be moving up the ladder.

What happens next for “Chito” remains to be seen. He’ll hope to turn things around in 2026 to stay relevant in the bantamweight division. Vera was competitive against Zahabi and some fans agree that the result should’ve gone the other way. Regardless, a string of losses under the UFC banner is always touchy.

As for Zahabi, he’s now riding a seven-fight winning streak. In that span, he’s beaten Vera, Jose Aldo, Munhoz, Javid Basharat, Aori Qileng, Ricky Turcios, and Drako Rodriguez. Zahabi is 8-2 under the UFC banner. After defeating “Chito,” Zahabi called for a clash with former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley.

UFC Vancouver was headlined by a middleweight clash between Brendan Allen and Reinier de Ridder. Allen made the most of his short-notice opportunity, earning a stoppage win after de Ridder failed to get off his stool before the fifth round.