Vera parts with longtime coach Parillo to snap four-fight UFC losing streak

Marlon Vera has ended his six-year working relationship with striking coach Jason Parillo, the UFC bantamweight confirming the split as he prepares to face Charles Jourdain (18-8) at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Vera (23-12-1), a former title challenger, says the change was driven entirely by a need to reverse a four-fight losing streak rather than any falling-out between the two.

“I was trying to figure out what I need, what is not getting me to win these close decisions,” Vera told Ariel Helwani. “It was a pretty hard decision because we didn’t have a problem or nothing bad happened. I was just like, what can I do moving forward to give myself a chance to kill this bad streak?”

Vera, known as “Chito”, said the prospect of reaching the end of his career with unanswered questions was the deciding factor. “I don’t want my career to go to the very end and then question what if I had made a change,” he added. Parillo had been in his corner since 2018.

In place of that setup, Vera has merged with the team surrounding fellow UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr., using his own gym as the group’s base of operations. Rosas Jr.’s father oversees scheduling and training logistics, while two Russian coaches — one specialising in kickboxing, the other in wrestling — form the core of the new support staff. Vera has also reintegrated his own former wrestling and kickboxing coaches into the arrangement.

“Eventually, I kind of merged into Rosas Jr.’s team,” Vera explained. “And now we use my gym as headquarters for all of us. Right now, his dad handles times and training. They already have a full team — a kickboxing coach, a wrestling coach; both are from Russia. I also brought back my old wrestling coach and kickboxing coach.”

The Jourdain fight at UFC 331 represents Vera’s clearest opportunity to demonstrate whether the overhaul has had the desired effect. A fifth consecutive defeat would place him in increasingly difficult territory in the bantamweight division.