UFC Vegas 53 live blog: Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera

This is the UFC Vegas 53 live blog for the bantamweight showdown between Rob Font and Marlon Vera, the main event on Saturday at the UFC APEX.

Font enters his third consecutive headliner, while Vera takes the main event spot for the first time in his UFC career.

The New England Cartel team member missed weight for the first time in his UFC tenure by 2.5 pounds ahead of the fight, and is forfeiting 20 percent of his purse to Vera. Font will look to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo in his most recent appearance at December’s UFC Vegas 44 event. Prior to that, the No. 6 ranked bantamweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings won four straight, including a first-round TKO win over Marlon Moraes, and a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Cody Garbrandt in his first UFC headliner.

Vera, ranked No. 11 in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, has won two straight, and three of four with victories over Sean O’Malley, Davey Grant, and — with a vicious front kick KO — Frankie Edgar at November’s UFC 268 event.

Check out the UFC Vegas 53 live blog below.