UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, has doubled down on his confidence in defeating Marlon Vera in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 299.
O’Malley joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to discuss his upcoming bout against a bitter rival. The bantamweight kingpin throughout the interview showcased his natural confidence in himself and a strong belief that his Ecuadorian foe has not made the proper improvements since their first meeting back in 2020.
“He’s kind of peaked,” O’Malley said on The MMA Hour. “I’m better than this dude. I’m going to go out there and do what I was about to do to him and put his lights out [in the first fight]. He’s good, he’s tough, he’s very durable, but that doesn’t get the job done against me. You can’t just be tough, you can’t just be durable. I believe I’m more skilled, faster, more accurate, and I’m going to go out there and I just feel confident standing in front of him.”
Sean O’Malley Confident Ahead of Marlon Vera Bout at UFC 299
UFC 299 is a massive hurdle for both fighters in the main event. For O’Malley, it’s a chance to avenge his only professional loss and prove to everyone that, like he has been saying, it was a fluke. As most fans know ever since Vera defeated O’Malley at UFC 252 in August 2020, O’Malley has been adamant that the loss was a fluke. The fight ended via TKO, after Vera landed a leg kick that hit the perennial nerve in O’Malley’s leg.
Since that loss, O’Malley has been nearly perfect 5-0-1. Most recently, ‘Suga’ defeated Aljamain Sterling in emphatic fashion to win the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 292. On the flip side, ‘Chito’ has also amassed an impressive record of 5-2 since his win against the champion.
Title Fight Expectations
While O’Malley has plans to end this fight early in spectacular fashion, the champion is prepared to have a fight for the ages with Vera.
“Mentally, physically, emotionally, I’m preparing for 25 minutes,” O’Malley told Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I’m preparing to leave there limping, leave there sore, leave there with my hand hurt from his head. So [I’m] preparing for the worst, but realistically, I’m putting this dude’s lights out within three [rounds].”
Who’s Waiting in the Wings
The outcome of this fight as it currently stands has monumental implications for the UFC. Just recently at UFC 298, both Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria picked up huge wins and now may await the winner of this matchup. If O’Malley is successful in his grudge match with ‘Chito’ he has said in the lead up to this fight that a superfight with Topuria is something very much on his radar. In addition, O’Malley has also publicly stated that he wants a fight with Dvalishvili to prove the doubters wrong once again.
If Vera hoists the bantamweight belt at UFC 299, he has stated that he wants to avenge his loss to Cory Sandhagen. While the fight promises to be an exciting rematch the outcome has heavy implications on the bantamweight division.
Who do you think will get their hand raised at UFC 299? Will Sean O’Malley right his wrongs or will Vera prove that he has O’Malley’s number?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
