SUMMARY
- Marlon Vera's journey to a UFC title shot was filled with ups and downs.
- Chito Vera's net worth surpasses Sean O'Malley after 16 UFC fights
Has Marlon “Chito” Vera suffered financially because of UFC’s alleged greed? Looking closer at Vera’s past fight purses ahead of UFC 299 reveals the truth.
Upon his arrival, Chito Vera (23–8–1) became one of the most spoken-about fighters on the UFC roster. His crisp and lethal striking easily made him one of the most dangerous and marketable athletes.
According to reports, Marlon Vera’s net worth is around $4 million in March 2024. More than $2 million came through his 16 UFC fights. The Ecuadorian has also signed lucrative endorsement deals. He has been blessed by Reebok, Venum, Crypto.com, Sanabul, Dr. Dabber, MyBookieMMA, King Palm, and others.
In case you did not know, Sean O’Malley’s net worth, according to Sportskeeda, is just $2 million.
Career earnings of Marlon Vera
Marlon Vera started his UFC career with a loss against Marco Beltran in which he earned $10,500. For his second fight against Roman Salazar, he made $68,500 ($8K base salary, $8K win bonus, $50K Performance bonus, and $2,500 from sponsorships).
“Chito” earned his next big fight purse against Brad Pickett. He took home a whopping $96,500 ($22K base salary, $22K win bonus, $50K performance bonus, and an additional $2,500 from sponsorships).
After a series of wins and losses, Marlon Vera finally got his first $100K when he won against Frankie Saenz followed by $108K against Nohelin Hernandez. His next opponent was Andre Ewell. For this fight, Vera amassed a total of $162,000 ($51K base salary, $51K win bonus, $50K performance bonus, and $10K as sponsorship payout).
A fight against Song Yadong resulted in a defeat, but Vera still walked out with $125K, including a $50K performance bonus. He was back on track after a mixed set of wins and losses against Sean O’Malley ($140K) and Jose Aldo ($85K).
At UFC 268, Marlon Vera beat Frankie Edgar with a phenomenal front-kick KO. In this fight, Vera amassed a total of $216,000 ($75K to show, $75K win bonus, $50K Performance of the Night bonus, and $16K fight week incentive pay).
Marlon Vera’s biggest reported fight purse
The Ecuadorian beat the former bantamweight champion and one of the greatest fighters of all time, Dominick Cruz (24-4-0), by a vicious head-kick KO. Vera reportedly earned $300,000 that night.
The money did not stop rolling in as Vera earned $370,000 despite dropping a split decision to Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen. According to The Sports Grail, this would be Chito Vera’s biggest payday.
In his last fight at UFC 292, Marlon Vera made $326,000, including $16,000 in sponsorship pay. The fight ended in a unanimous decision in Vera’s favor. Should he win the second fight against Sean O’Malley at UFC 299, Chito could break his personal fight purse record.
In terms of fighter pay, Vera appears to be thriving, given his lack of consideration for resorting to parking lot robberies. Jokes aside, Vera’s recent upgrade to a larger and more comfortable house is a clear indication of his wealth, given the current real estate market.
