UFC 331 Star Parts Ways With Longtime Head Coach to Try and End Losing Streak

One of the biggest names in the UFC bantamweight division is changing things up in order to try and reignite his career.

Considered by many MMA fans to be the sport's deepest and most talent-rich weight class, the UFC bantamweight division is currently ruled over by Petr Yan after “No Mercy” defeated Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch UFC 323 and claimed the belt for the second time.

There’s no shortage of top names in the hunt for a title shot after Yan and Dvalishvili meet in an expected trilogy bout, but one former title challenger that’s looking to reinsert himself into the championship mix is Marlon “Chito” Vera.

Failed UFC Title Bid Kicked Off Four-Fight Skid for Marlon Vera

Scheduled to meet Charles Jourdain later this month at UFC 331, Vera is currently on the worst losing run of his career after dropping four-straight fights.

Marlon Vera (blue gloves) fights Sean O’Malley (red gloves) during UFC 299 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That losing run began in 2024 at UFC 299, where Vera met Sean O’Malley in a rematch for the bantamweight belt but dropped a unanimous decision in a fight where he didn’t manage to mount much significant offense.

Marlon Vera before his fight with Sean O’Malley (not shown) during UFC 299 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Chito” also fell short against another former UFC titleholder in Deiveson Figueiredo five months after losing to O’Malley, and his two most recent losses have come against top bantamweight contenders Aiemann Zahabi and David Martinez.

Marlon Vera Explains Decision to Change Camps Ahead of UFC 331

Speaking to Yahoo Sports ahead of his return at UFC 331, Vera explained his decision to part ways with his longtime coach Jason Parillo following four-straight losses.

Marlon Vera (red gloves) fights Aiemann Zahabi (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“After the fight in Mexico [with Martinez], we went back to training, and I was trying to figure out what I needed — what wasn’t allowing me to win these close decisions,” Vera said. “It was a hard decision because we didn’t have a problem [with each other]… “I was asking myself what I could do moving forward to kill this bad streak and get back into the win column.”

While many fans will cite Vera’s apparent lack of urgency during recent fights as a primary cause for his current losing streak, one thing that’s still been on full display is the incredible durability that’s kept “Chito” from ever being stopped across 36 professional MMA fights.

Charles Jourdain Looks to Extend Bantamweight Win Streak at UFC 331

A fighter of Vera’s caliber and popularity isn’t about to get any easy matchups from the UFC, and at UFC 331 the Ecuadorian will be tasked with trying to snap Jourdain’s three-fight win streak.

Kyler Phillips (red gloves) fights Charles Jourdain (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Canada Life Centre. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After experiencing mixed results in the UFC featherweight division, Jourdain dropped down to 135 lbs. in late 2024 and and submitted Victor Henry with a guillotine choke at that year’s edition of UFC Edmonton.

The victory earned “Air” a “Performance of the Night” bonus, and the Canadian has now earned post-fight bonuses for all three of his bantamweight wins after he also submitted Davey Grant and most recently defeated Kyler Phillips in a UFC Winnipeg bout that took home "Fight of the Night" honors.

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