UFC Fight Night 119's Marlon Vera wants to fight in Las Vegas, but will detour for John Lineker

UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera says it all the time – sign him up for a fight in Las Vegas.

That, or Madison Square Garden. Fight at those places, and there’s no mistaking you’ve hit the big time.

For now, Vera (10-3-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) heads to a decidedly less hospitable locale for his next job: A fight with No. 9 bantamweight John Lineker (29-8 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in Brazil.

Until very recently, Vera wasn’t booked for a fight. Then he wound up stepping in between Lineker and Bryan Caraway (21-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who were bickering incessantly about a fight in December, to take on Lineker at UFC Fight Night 119.

It’s a big step up for Vera, who’s won his past three but has yet to face a fighter of Lineker’s caliber, much less in his own country.

“I’m pretty sure not many guys want to go to Brazil to fight him,” Vera told MMAjunkie Radio. “But for me, he’s just another opponent. I respect him as a person, but as a fighter, I will treat him the same way I treat other guys and do my best to beat him.”

The two open the FS1-televised main card of the event on Oct. 28 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

Vera recently traveled to Las Vegas to give himself a leg up by working with the specialists at the UFC’s Performance Institute and training with his jiu-jitsu coach at 10th planet.

“I’m really excited to see the place, because I hear they have everything there,” he said of the UFC’s facility. “I want to see how much we can take advantage of it, learning how to be better as an athlete.”

A trip to Sin City reminds him of how close he is to fulfilling his dream of headlining a major fight card. He’s already adorning billboards in his native Ecuador. If he can beat Lineker, it might not be long before the same happens in Las Vegas.

“For me, it’s a dream to fight on a big card here, but I’m not in a rush,” he said. “I’m getting big opportunities. I’m fighting tough fights. Definitely I want to fight here after this one.”

At the same time, Vera knows it’s best to be patient. Sometimes, you take detours before your big shot. Lineker is one of those.

“If they want to send me to China, that’s no problem,” he said. “For me, a fight is a fight, whether it’s a big card or small card. It’s still the best show in the world. I just take anything they give me. I don’t complain about that.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 119, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.