Marlon Vera’s late TKO of Charles Jourdain revives his most dangerous betting profile

Marlon Vera did not need to become a different fighter to end his losing streak. He needed his established weapons to survive the slow start.

Cageside Press reported that Vera, after changing camps ahead of UFC 331, dropped Charles Jourdain three times and secured the TKO at 2:02 of the third round following a competitive opening and a momentum swing in the second. The win halted Vera’s four-fight skid and moved his record to 23-12-1.

The immediate betting result was substantial. Vera was available from +168 to +180 on the same-day moneyline board, while Jourdain ranged from -198 to -220 across seven tracked sportsbooks. Vera therefore cashed as a clear underdog, but the more useful takeaway concerns how he won: he absorbed early offense, punished risky entries and kicks, then converted accumulated damage into a late stoppage.

That mechanism fits his longer record better than a simple comeback narrative.

The slow start remains part of the Vera proposition

Vera entered UFC 331 after decision losses to Sean O’Malley, Deiveson Figueiredo, Aiemann Zahabi and David Martinez. Three were unanimous decisions; the Zahabi loss was split. That run created a legitimate question about whether Vera’s patience had become passivity, particularly in three-round fights where conceding early minutes can leave too little time to recover on the scorecards.

His career striking numbers still show that tension. Vera lands 4.18 significant strikes per minute but absorbs 5.34, with 50 percent striking defense. Those rates do not describe a fighter built to bank clean, low-variance rounds. They describe exchanges in which Vera often allows opponents to establish activity before his heavier counters and broader target selection become decisive.