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For Vera and his peers, getting to the fight has always been the real work. Remember, to get ready for a three or five-round match, you have to fight for (ideally) eight weeks. Now throw in added media obligations, photo and video shoots and other responsibilities, and some can’t handle that. It’s what separates the haves from the have nots in this game, and with Font having done it twice already – beating Cody Garbrandt and losing a five-rounder to Jose Aldo – the New Englander has proven that he can handle the spotlight.
Now it’s Vera’s turn, and he’s ready.
“A hundred percent,” he said. “Every time I get a big opportunity, it makes sense to me and makes sense to my family. Every single moment I sacrificed, whenever I didn’t show up because I had to be ready for a fight, these pay off. You can only do that through work, having a good wife behind you and a good team around you.”
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You have to be able to fight, too, and Vera has that part down, winning eight of his last 10, a stretch that includes back-to-back victories over Davey Grant and Frankie Edgar. But what about the other part that turns a contender into a main eventer? People have to care, and they’re on board with “Chito”.
“It’s really cool to have people recognize you and to become this,” said Vera. “Because nothing happens overnight. It does happen for some guys – they come pretty heavy with the talking and everything – but I don’t compare myself to nobody. I feel all those years coming together to something good. I’m a more mature fighter and I feel I keep growing up. I don’t look at other people and want what they have or want to be who that person is. I just work hard for what I want, and I go and get it.”