Two contrasting forces clashed in the main event of UFC 299 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. On one side was the champion on a six-fight unbeaten streak. Standing across from him was the only man who had previously defeated him in his mixed martial arts career.
Sean O’Malley, the champion, emerged victorious against the challenger, the fifth-ranked bantamweight, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Following his win, O’Malley shared his plans for his already illustrious UFC career.
Sean O’Malley defeats Marlon Chito Vera at UFC 299
Sean O’Malley defeated Marlon Vera by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 299 with the scorecards reading 50-45, 50-45, and 50-44. It was an absolute masterclass by O’Malley, as Vera was unable to mount any serious offense except for the occasional flashes of aggression in rounds four and five.
O’Malley doubled or tripled the significant strikes in all five rounds, landing a total of 230 significant strikes against Vera, who managed just 86. Vera struggled to handle O’Malley’s footwork in round 1, and in round 2, he absorbed a knee to the head that produced a sound resembling a metal baseball bat hit.
He is who he says he is 🤩@SugaSeanMMA takes home the unanimous decision to retain his bantamweight title! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/Ybi9fc9Z6g
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024
Commentators were surprised by Vera’s durability, considering that the knee by O’Malley would have knocked any other bantamweight in the world out cold. O’Malley’s footwork continued to be the difference in round 3, but Vera showed signs of life in rounds 4 and 5.
While round 4 was Vera’s best, it was clear that O’Malley easily won the round. In this round, Vera attempted to turn it into a dirty boxing fight, but O’Malley ensured not to overly engage, avoiding getting clipped.
Chito came out aggressively in round 5, but O’Malley hurt him with a straight right hand, and Vera found himself in survival mode. Nonetheless, Vera landed his most significant punch in the final second of the bout when he connected with a body shot during a brawl at the center.
Sean O’Malley wants Ilia Topuria next
Sean O’Malley made his plans clear as he called out Ilia Topuria, the featherweight champion, in his post-fight speech. “Dana, give me a jet to Spain, baby. I’m coming for Ilia Topuria…I want Ilia, baby. Give me Ilia,” said O’Malley.
“He’s the scary dude. Ilia excites me, going up a weight class excites me,” O’Malley stated why he wants to fight the Georgian fighter who is a resident of Spain. “But honestly, I’m here for whatever. If you guys want me to knock out Merab (Dvalishvili), I’ll do that too,” O’Malley further added as he revealed that he has no qualms about fighting Dvalshvili.
Incidentally, both Topuria and Dvalishvili are Georgians and both fought in the previous PPV event of the promotion, UFC 298. Topuria dethroned Alexander Volkanovski in the main event via a brutal second-round KO whereas Dvalishvili made easy work of Henry Cejudo in the second fight of the PPV card.
Even though Topuria just won the featherweight title, he had been calling for fights against the likes of O’Malley, Islam Makhachev, and Conor McGregor. Nonetheless, it is almost certain that his next fight is in Spain and O’Malley has made the case for it with his latest victory.
Do you think Sean O’Malley will win a potential fight with Ilia Topuria? Leave your prediction below!
