A native of Chone, Ecuador, Vera began training as an amateur in 2011 and made his professional debut in February 2012. He compiled a record of 6–1–1, competing for regional promotions in Latin America before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in 2014.
The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America
In May 2014, it was revealed that Vera was a cast member of, competing for Team Werdum. Over the course of the show, Vera first defeated Enrique Briones in the quarterfinals via knockout. Subsequently, Vera was forced out of his semi-final bout with a skin infection and was replaced by Guido Cannetti.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Vera made his official debut against fellow castmate Marco Beltrán on November 15, 2014 at UFC 180. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. For his next bout, Vera faced Roman Salazar on August 8, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 73. He won the fight via submission in the second round. He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus. Vera faced Davey Grant on February 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84. Vera lost the fight via unanimous decision. Vera was expected to face Ning Guangyou on August 20, 2016 at UFC 202. Subsequently, on August 9, 2016 it was revealed that Guangyou had tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol in relation to an out-of-competition drug test taken on May 19. Guangyou was cleared of wrongdoing after it was determined by USADA that he had possibly ingested tainted meat from China. As a result, he will not be punished in any way. The bout was rescheduled and expected to take place the following week at UFC on Fox 21. In turn, the bout was postponed again due to alleged visa issues for Guangyou, which restricted the timing of his travel. The pairing eventually took place at featherweight on November 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Vera was briefly tabbed as a short notice replacement to face Jimmie Rivera on January 15, 2017. However, Rivera declined the fight and the pairing was scrapped. Vera was an injury replacement for Henry Briones to face Brad Pickett on March 18, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107. Due to the short notice and preparation for Vera, the bout was contested at a catchweight of 140 lbs. He won the fight via TKO in the third round for which he was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. Vera faced Brian Kelleher on July 22, 2017 at UFC on Fox 25. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Vera faced John Lineker on October 28, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 119. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Vera faced Douglas Silva de Andrade on February 3, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 125. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Vera faced Wuliji Buren on August 8, 2018 at UFC 227. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Vera faced Guido Cannetti on November 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 140. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two. Vera was expected to face Thomas Almeida on March 2, 2019 at UFC 235. However Almeida pulled out of the fight on January 31, citing an injury, and was replaced by Frankie Saenz. In turn, Vera pulled out of the fight on February 27 due to illness and the bout was scrapped from the event. The bout was rescheduled to UFC Fight Night 148. Vera won the fight via technical knockout in round one. Vera was scheduled to face Sean O'Malley on July 6, 2019 at UFC 239. However, O'Malley announced his withdraw from the bout on June 21, 2019 due a failed test for ostarine. O'Malley was replaced by newcomer Nohelin Hernandez. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two. Vera faced Andre Ewell on October 12, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 19. He won the fight via technical knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award. Vera was scheduled to face Jimmie Rivera on February 8, 2020 at UFC 247. However, Rivera pulled out of the fight on January 23 citing an injury. In turn, promotion officials elected to remove Vera from the card. Vera was expected to face Eddie Wineland on March 28, 2020 at. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that the event was postponed to a future date. Instead, Vera faced Song Yadong in a featherweight bout on May 16, 2020 at. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants earned the Fight of the Nightaward. Vera is scheduled to face Sean O'Malley on August 15, 2020 at UFC 252.
Personal life
Vera is married to María Paulina Escobar. They have two daughters, Ana Paula, Eliana, and a son, José Igancio. Ana Paula has a rare neurological condition Möbius syndrome, for which Vera created a GoFundMe account. In June 2018, Vera announced that they had raised sufficient donations for a surgery, which was planned to take place in California during the summer of 2018. Vera signed an advertisement deal with Pepsi through which his fans will see him on billboards all across his home country.
