Charles Jourdain explains why he waved off his fight in UFC 331 loss to Marlon Vera

Charles Jourdain's first loss at bantamweight came to a dramatic finish at UFC 331 in Los Angeles when he waved off his bout against Marlon Vera in the third round. Jourdain had entered the fight riding a three-fight winning streak at 135 pounds, but Vera—himself in the midst of a four-fight losing skid—took control and hurt Jourdain with strikes late in the fight. Unable to continue, Jourdain signaled to the referee to stop the action.

Following the loss, Jourdain explained on Instagram that his vision had been compromised by the strikes he absorbed. "Lost my eyesight in the third," he posted. "I waved the fight 'cause I don't need to receive more strikes to the head. I lost. I failed." The bantamweight contender had built momentum with back-to-back victories over Kyler Phillips, Davey Grant, and Victor Henry upon moving down from featherweight.

For Vera, the stoppage represented a crucial turnaround. The former title challenger had not recorded a victory since outpointing Pedro Munhoz in August 2023, making his fourth consecutive loss a severe blow to his ranking position. The win provides Vera with some breathing room to rebuild his stalled career at a critical juncture.

Jourdain will now focus on recovery before plotting his return to the bantamweight title picture. The eye injury raises questions about his conditioning and head movement in the lead-up to the bout, factors he'll need to address heading into his next assignment.