Rodrigo Vera’s name was mentioned as part of the cast for season 34 of The Ultimate Fighter. The rumored list had two more fighters than usual, so those were most likely alternates. Honestly, they made the right call having Vera as an alternate because he wasn’t as talented as some of the other names rumored for the season. With that said, damn, that doesn’t mean sign him straight to the UFC. How is it fair that the guy who doesn’t even make the cast gets into the UFC while the others still have to do it the hard way? Maybe there’s more to it behind the scenes, but from the outside looking in, that’s how it comes across.
I do understand the thought process behind bringing him in. Vera has a solid 21-1-1 record and is someone they can use on these Latin America cards. Out of his 21 wins, the only one I really rate is his win over Juan Diaz. Diaz is a current UFC fighter, but I’m not personally sold on him either.
If you’ve watched one Rodrigo Vera fight, you’ve basically seen them all. His style is built around forward pressure with a high guard. He slowly walks opponents down into boxing range and works takedowns from the inside. Most of his striking comes from his hands, and he mainly headhunts. Occasionally, he’ll mix in some kicks and body work, but nothing that really stands out. Vera is constantly inching his way inside, but once he gets there, he can wait too long to let his hands go. He also struggles to cut the cage off, so fighters who can angle out and move laterally could give him problems.
Vera keeps his hands high, but almost too high. Hooks can still get around the guard, and his elbows flare wide enough for straight shots to split the middle. He’s comfortable exchanging in the pocket, but he lacks the power and overall danger to make opponents overly hesitant.
Wrestling is clearly his best attribute. His pressure eventually forces opponents to the cage, and from there, he does a really good job using shoulder and head pressure. He’ll drop levels, connect his hands, and finish scoop takedowns. He also has a nice inside trip he’ll mix in from time to time.
The problem is his ground game really doesn’t go anywhere. He’s basically a PC without RAM. Vera can get takedowns, but he struggles to keep opponents there or advance position. A lot of the time, he’ll sit in guard, landing soft punches while giving opponents too much space to scramble up. He’ll attack submissions here and there, but you can tell he’s not fully comfortable or technical in those positions. After watching most of his tape, I can hardly remember him having long stretches of dominant control on the mat.
He’s won ten fights by decision, and while that may not be exciting, it does show he has solid cardio. At the same time, going to decisions with fighters in their 30s and 40s isn’t a great look. Right now, I’d have Vera ranked in the bottom five of the UFC featherweight division.
You can watch Rodrigo Vera make his UFC debut on May 30th. It will be on the Macau card against Kangjie Zhu (21-4).
