UFC Fight Night Font vs Vera Picks and Predictions: The Cardio Killer

It's a bantamweight main event between Rob Font and Marlon Vera on Saturday. Font's last fight came last year in a loss to Jose Aldo, but we like him to bounce back with a win at the Apex in Vegas over Vera. Find out more in our UFC betting picks.

Rohit Ponnaiya - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Rohit Ponnaiya • Betting Analyst
Apr 30, 2022 • 18:16 ET • 4 min read

Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera is the main event for UFC Fight Night betting on April 30 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This should be a banger between a pair of Top-10 bantamweights. UFC odds suggest a close fight with UFC betting lines opening with Font as a -150 favorite before shortening to -135, and Vera coming back at +115.

Here are our best free UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Vera picks and predictions for tonight.

Font vs Vera fight odds

Live odds courtesy of the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Font vs Vera method of victory odds

Method of Victory Rob Font Marlon Vera
To win by KO/TKO +160 +300
To win by Points +425 +500
To win by Submission +1,600 +800
Draw +5,000 +5,000

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook on April 27, 2022

Font vs Vera picks

Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

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Font vs Vera betting preview

Rob Font is the No. 5-ranked bantamweight contender and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo in December. That snapped a four-fight winning streak for Font, who is 9-4 in the octagon with five of those wins coming by way of KO/TKO.

The 34-year-old is capable on the mat but his bread-and-butter is his boxing ability. Font likes to pressure with his jab which creates openings for his power shots.

Marlon "Chito" Vera is No. 8 in the UFC bantamweight rankings and is coming off back-to-back wins against Frankie Edgar and Davey Grant. Chito is 8-2 in his last 10 fights, with his most recent defeat coming by way of a unanimous decision to Aldo in December of 2020.

The 28-year-old is a finisher with nine of his last 10 wins in the UFC coming by way of stoppage (six by knockout and three by submission). Vera is a slick kickboxer with some pop in his hands and he's also a very dangerous grappler with a black belt in BJJ. 

Font vs Vera tale of the tape

Rob Font   Marlon Vera
34 Age 29
5-foot-8 Height 5-foot-8
135 lbs Weight 135 lbs
71 inches Reach 70.5 inches
19-5 (8 KOs) Record 18-7 (7 KOs)

Font vs Vera UFC prediction and best bet

Our prediction is compiled from the analysis of the fighters and is an indication of who we are leaning with to win this bout.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this fight or where the most value lies, and is where we would put some of our bankroll behind.

With both of these fighters coming off recent losses to Aldo, there are some key takeaways from each of those defeats. Font was knocked down twice and was controlled on the mat, but he did impress with his toughness and output and actually had a 146-89 edge in significant strikes.

According to all three judges, Vera won a close second-round against Aldo but was pieced up in the striking exchanges in the first and out grappled in the third. Vera's only real offense in that one came with his leg kicks, and it's also worth noting that he was losing to a 40-year-old Edgar before landing a head kick near the end of his last fight. 

Vera can be a bit hittable at times and also has a tendency to give away early rounds. That will be problematic against a superior boxer like Font who throws with more volume and has better cardio.

Although Font weighed in at 2.5 pounds over the 136-pound bantamweight limit for a non-title fight, this was the first time he has ever missed weight so I don't expect it to reflect his conditioning.

Font also has experience in 25-minute battles since this is his third-straight headline event, while Vera has never fought more than 15. Look for those advantages to lead to a victory for Font. 

We mentioned that Vera is a finisher, however, Font is more of a points fighter with five of his last six fights going the distance.

Font does have power in his shots but Vera has never been finished in his career, with all seven of his career losses coming by way of decision. As a matter of fact, in 18 career UFC fights, Vera has never even been officially knocked down.

Look for Font to drag this fight into the deeper rounds where his cardio and volume give him the decision victory. 

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Betting Analyst

With a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than any analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics and Oscar odds. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.

You can catch Rohit breaking down every UFC event with Joe Osborne on "P4P Picks" on the Covers YouTube channel and he also has regular appearances on "Before You Bet" with Joe. In addition, he's a regular guest on "By The Book" on the Monumental Sports Network and makes guest appearances on VSIN's "The Handle" and CBS Sports.

Rohit primarily makes his bets at bet365, which offers a wide variety of prop markets, but also has accounts at several others so he can shop around for the best prices. For Rohit, bankroll management is key. He believes you should never bet what you can't afford to lose and maximize those few betting opportunities where books misprice a line.

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