Marlon “Chito” Vera, the seasoned bantamweight contender, returned home from UFC 299 to face an unexpected and unwelcome surprise: his house had been burglarized while he was away in Miami for a title shot against Sean O’Malley.
The veteran fighter took to social media to share the distressing news, posting a photo revealing the damaged door through which the burglars had gained entry.
“The F****** assh*** that broke into my home, I’m gonna find you,” Vera expressed his anger and frustration on his Instagram: @chitoveraufc.
In a subsequent post on his Instagram stories, Vera provided some context to the unfortunate incident, explaining that the robbery occurred prior to his fight with O’Malley on Saturday night.
“The context is last night there was a robbery,” Vera disclosed. “They broke into our house. Though they are material things, they are things that have been bought with a lot of effort and hard work. But hey, these types of things happen.”
At the time of his social media posts, it remained unclear whether Vera had filed a report with the authorities or if any investigation was underway regarding the break-in. Additionally, Vera did not specify the extent of the items stolen from his home during the robbery.
This ordeal marked a tough conclusion to what had already been a challenging week for Vera. He had suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Sean O’Malley in the UFC 299 main event just the past Saturday night.
Despite showcasing remarkable resilience and an indomitable chin, Vera endured significant punishment over five rounds before ultimately succumbing on the scorecards. O’Malley successfully defended his title for the first time, leaving Vera to navigate the aftermath of both a physical and emotional setback.
As Vera grapples with the aftermath of the burglary and the disappointment of his recent loss, the MMA community stands in solidarity, offering support and encouragement to the resilient fighter in his time of need.
It is becoming an increasingly, worrying trend for burglars to target high profile stars when they are away competing in their chosen sport, hopefully Chito and his family can recover quickly and anything lost can be retrieved quickly.
