Marlon Vera showed the devastating effect of elbow striking at UFC Vegas 29 as he bloodied Davey Grant

• Marlon Vera's merciless elbow striking opened up multiple bloody wounds on his opponent.
• It was a hard-fought win for Vera, who beat Davey Grant after three, 5-minute UFC rounds.
• Grant posted a selfie from hospital after the bout, showing he had bled through a coronavirus mask.

The devastating effect of elbow striking was on display Saturday at a UFC event as Marlon "Chito" Vera bloodied Davey Grant during a 15-minute war.

It was a case of revenge for Vera, who dropped a grueling decision to Grant in London five years ago. Vera reversed that result on June 19 in a tough, sometimes brutal MMA fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The two fighters threw with bad intentions from the opening round, with Grant pressing forward with stinging strikes, spinning kicks, and sharp punch combinations.

Midway through first the round, Vera hit Grant with a knee to the face, elbowed him, and attacked his British opponent's lead leg multiple times.

In the second, Vera pressed on with his technical elbow striking, and by the end of the round Grant's face was starting to look banged up and cut.

By the end of the third, Vera landed 112 of 172 total strikes (65% accuracy), and succeeded with both of his takedown attempts, out-landing, and out-hustling Grant to earn a decision win.

Watch highlights of the fight here:

Grant later posted a selfie to Instagram from what looked like a hospital bed.

He had multiple, weeping lacerations all over his face, bruises, and had bled through a coronavirus mask.

"Still smiling," he said. "Hats off to Chito for a great fight. Thought it was really close but no regrets, left it all in there and absolutely gutted not to get the win.

"Heal up, lots of family time then back in the gym and we go again! Thank you so much to everyone for the constant support it really means the world to me."

WARNING - The image below shows Grant's injuries:

With victory, Vera advanced his pro MMA record to 17 wins (six knockouts, eight submissions, and three decisions) against seven losses.

Grant, meanwhile, fell to 13 wins (three knockouts, eight submissions, and two decisions) against five losses.