Jourdain waves off UFC 331 loss to Vera after losing eyesight in third round

Charles Jourdain brought a three-fight bantamweight winning streak to an abrupt end at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Saturday, waving off his bout against Marlon Vera in the third round after losing his eyesight from strikes.

Jourdain had been considered a dark-horse contender at 135 pounds following consecutive victories over Kyler Phillips, Davey Grant, and Victor Henry. Vera, however, took control of the fight and hurt Jourdain with strikes late in the final round, prompting the Canadian to signal to the referee that he could not go on.

In a statement posted to Instagram after the bout, Jourdain confirmed a vision problem was behind his decision to stop the fight. “Lost my eyesight in the third,” he wrote. “I waved the fight ‘cause I don’t need to receive more strikes to the head. I lost. I failed.”

The exact nature of the eye injury was not immediately disclosed, but Jourdain made clear that continuing to absorb punishment without being able to see was not a risk he was willing to take.

The result was a significant relief for Vera, a former UFC title challenger who had been enduring the worst slump of his career. “Chito” had not recorded a victory since outpointing Pedro Munhoz in August 2023, a run of four consecutive defeats that had raised serious questions about his place in the bantamweight rankings.

Jourdain will now look to regroup and return to the winning form that had made him one of the more compelling prospects in the division since his move down in weight.