Rob Font vs. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera targeted for UFC main event on April 30

Two ranked bantamweight contenders will collide next month.

A high-stakes matchup between Rob Font and Marlon Vera is being targeted to headline the UFC’s Fight Night card on April 30. The event is expected to be held in Las Vegas. MMA Fighting confirmed the news Wednesday following an initial report by ESPN.

The No. 6 ranked bantamweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, Font (19-5) suffered a unanimous decision loss to former UFC champion Jose Aldo in his most recent outing this past December. Prior to that setback, the 34-year-old Massachusetts native had won four consecutive bouts over the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, and current Bellator beltholder Sergio Pettis to push his way into title contention.

Now he’ll face Vera (18-7-1), MMA Fighting’s No. 12 ranked bantamweight in the world.

A 29-year-old native of Ecuador, “Chito” owns a notable first-round TKO win over Sean O’Malley and rides into the contest off back-to-back victories over former UFC champion Frankie Edgar and Davey Grant. The meeting with Font will be the first main event of Vera’s eight-year UFC career.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin and Mike Heck contributed to this report.