The Joe Rogan Experience

JRE MMA Show #117 with Marlon "Chito" Vera

Joe sits down with Marlon "Chito" Vera, an Ecuadorian mixed martial artist currently competing in the bantamweight division of the UFC.

Marlon "Chito" VeraguestJoe RoganhostYoung Jamieguest

Jun 26, 20242h 55mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Chito Vera Details Gritty Rise From Ecuador Streets To UFC Stardom

Marlon “Chito” Vera sits down with Joe Rogan to trace his journey from chaotic street fights in Ecuador and makeshift gyms to becoming a top UFC bantamweight contender. They dive into his early hardships, manipulative first coach, and the pivotal move to U.S. super‑camps like Jackson-Wink and his current team with Jason Parillo and the Mendes brothers. Vera breaks down his training philosophy—constant year-round work, running, sauna, recovery, clean nutrition, and mental toughness—as well as the dark side of MMA: brutal weight cuts, bad judging, cheating, and sketchy coaching/management. The conversation also explores psychedelics, hunting, tattoos, hip‑hop, and how staying grounded as a family man and immigrant fuels his ambitions to become UFC champion.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Relentless persistence can overcome terrible circumstances and late starts.

Vera began in living-room gyms in Ecuador with almost no structure, got manipulated by an early coach and even paid 50% of a fight purse, yet refused to quit, showed up daily, and forced his way to The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC.

The right coach and environment radically accelerate development.

At Jackson-Wink he was getting dominated everywhere but learned to endure and adapt; later, working with elite specialists like Jason Parillo (striking) and the Mendes brothers (BJJ) turned him from a one‑trick triangle guy into a fully rounded contender.

Treat fighting as a 24/7 lifestyle, not a seasonal job.

Vera trains year‑round—running long distances, sparring, lifting, sauna, hyperbaric, clean eating—so camps are about sharpening, not getting in shape, which he believes is essential in a sport with no real off‑season.

Mental framing often decides fights more than pure skill.

He and Rogan repeatedly note examples (e.g., Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña, Cody Garbrandt’s KO streak, Marlon Moraes’ gas-tank issues) where belief, composure, and refusal to quit trump raw talent or early dominance.

Weight cutting is widespread sanctioned cheating that harms performance.

Both argue that extreme cuts deplete fighters physically and cognitively, propose more weight classes and eliminating drastic cuts, and describe how even “good” rehydrations still leave you at 85–90% on fight night.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

“I call it the immigrant mentality. All fucking day, seven days a week. There’s no season.”

— Marlon “Chito” Vera

“I’d rather lose a hundred fights than win one by cheating.”

— Marlon “Chito” Vera

“This is not even a sport. I don’t think this is a sport, this is fighting.”

— Marlon “Chito” Vera

“If you get mad before the fight, in my opinion, you don’t deserve to win.”

— Marlon “Chito” Vera

“You can’t take in too much external opinions. You have to be able to know whether you’re fucking up and how to get better.”

— Joe Rogan

Chito Vera’s childhood in Ecuador and path into MMAEarly training conditions, bad coaching, and escaping exploitationLife at Jackson-Wink and later evolution under Jason Parillo and Mendes brothersTraining philosophy: conditioning, running, recovery, nutrition, and mindsetWeight cutting, judging, fouls, and systemic issues in MMAPsychedelics, mental health, social media, and dealing with criticismLifestyle, hunting, cooking, surfing, and long‑term career/retirement goals

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