"Happy birthday baby girl" - Wishes pour in from Jon Jones and others as Marlon Vera's daughter turns 13

Marlon Vera's eldest child Ana Paula has just turned 13, prompting the bantamweight contender to share a photo collage of her on his Instagram account. Vera is a proud father and has always been vocal about the love he has for his children. Naturally, his post drew an outpouring of messages from the fight world.

Both fighters and fans alike flocked to the comment section of his post to wish Vera's daughter a happy birthday in a touching gesture in a sport that's usually defined by animosity and personal rivalries.

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was among 'Chito's' fellow roster-mates to wish his daughter a happy birthday.

"Happy birthday baby girl," Jones wrote.

One fan even hailed Vera as the best father among the UFC's fighters.

"Best UFC dad," wrote the fan.

Others praised the comment section for being exceptionally kind to Vera's daughter.

"W comment section," wrote one fan.

Another fan called on 'Chito' to face former bantamweight champion Petr Yan.

"You're the man Chito. Hope to see you rebound against Yan," commented the fan.

A collage of reactions can be seen below:

Other notable combat sports athletes who popped into the comment section of 'Chito's' Instagram post were original 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal and former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, both of whom posted emojis of a head wearing a birthday party hat.

Another prominent combat sports athlete was boxer extraordinaire and former IBF super middleweight champion, Caleb Plant, who posted a purple heart. While the Ecuadorian knockout artist is celebrating his daughter's birthday, he is undoubtedly still reeling from his recent bantamweight title loss to Sean O'Malley.

Where he goes from here is anyone's guess but Vera has been adamant that he will be a UFC champion one day.

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Marlon Vera has already beaten two former UFC champions

Despite his failure to capture UFC gold at UFC 299, Marlon Vera has found success against all-time former UFC titleholders. He defeated bantamweight GOAT Dominick Cruz, who he knocked out in devastating fashion with a crushing fourth-round head kick.

Prior to that, Vera had scored a similar knockout against former lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar, whose chin he smashed with a third-round front kick. He will look to replicate these performances in the future to work his way back into title contention.