Aldo escapes Vera's heel hook as submission-only grappling match ends in draw

Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera fought to a draw in a submission-only grappling match at Hype in Quito, Ecuador on Sunday night, with neither veteran able to secure a finish across the full 10-minute contest.

Vera, a local hero competing in Ecuador for the first time since 2012, spent the opening five minutes pressing for a takedown while Aldo held firm in the corner, denying every attempt. When Vera called the Brazilian to the centre of the ring, Aldo opted to pull guard. The match’s only genuine submission threat came when Vera wrenched for a heel hook, but Aldo escaped to see out the time limit.

Aldo already held a decision win over “Chito” from their UFC meeting in 2020, and now adds a grappling draw to his record against the Ecuadorian fighter.

Elsewhere on the card, the co-main event took a late twist when Colby Covington — former UFC interim welterweight champion and current RAF titleholder — was replaced at the eleventh hour by Juan Albarello in a submission-only match against local MMA fighter Mayton Perea. Hype did not disclose why Covington withdrew.

Perea, who signed with the UFC in September after a 45-second knockout at Dana White’s Contender Series, tapped to a foot americana in just over two minutes.