Marlon Vera is not buying it.

The rising bantamweight contender was scheduled to fight Saturday at UFC 247 in Houston but had his bout with Jimmie Rivera fall through just a couple of weeks away from the event. Rivera pulled out due to an undisclosed injury. It was a fight long in the making, as Vera and Rivera were linked to fight three years ago, but “El Terror” didn’t accept the fight citing that Vera wasn’t high enough in the rankings at the time.

Now, Vera (15-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has a feeling there were other reasons behind Rivera’s withdrawal from UFC 247.

“The first time he had a bunch of excuses – that he’s too much, that he will hurt me and lot of dumb sh*t. I just feel he doesn’t want to fight me because he knows what’s going to happen,” Vera told MMA Junkie. “I mean, let’s be real, we all go injured into a fight. We have to do stupid weight cuts, we have to f*ck our body up, we have to spar, so nobody goes in healthy.

“I have a bunch of sh*t going on, but we live with that. I just feel he’s finding a way out. That’s how I feel.”

Vera has caught the attention of many with his recent success. The Ecuadorian has compiled five wins in a row, all coming via submission or TKO. He also broke into the UFC official rankings and sits at No. 14 on the bantamweight ladder.

“Chito” revealed the UFC tried to find him a replacement opponent, but the promotion was only able to offer newcomers – something he’s no longer interested in doing.

“I was going for a big fight,” Vera explained. “They offered me newcomers, but I’m not going back. I’m at a point where I’m closing in on a title shot, so I’m not taking a step back. It’s not like I’m coming off a loss, so I was like, ‘No thank you. I’m not doing that.’”

Vera hopes the fight with Rivera gets rebooked soon, but he admits he’s losing patience. He wouldn’t mind taking on another challenger just as long as it’s a name that can further his career and path to the title.

“Honestly, if they rebook it soon, I might take it, but I’m not chasing him anymore,” Vera said. “I’m not really looking forward to fight him because he’s looking for a way out. At this point, I don’t give two f*cks about that fool.

“I was supposed to fight No. 7, so I want something worth it.”