Sean O’Malley is set to defend his bantamweight title against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in the upcoming UFC 299 PPV at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, Florida. Aljamain Sterling, the former bantamweight champion, has shared his insights on the UFC 299 main event.
O’Malley secured the title from Sterling, providing the former champion with firsthand experience of the current bantamweight champion’s fighting style. Additionally, Sterling analyzed O’Malley’s initial bout with Vera. Discover Sterling’s thoughts on the fight below.
Aljamain Sterling talks on O’Malley vs Vera rematch
The UFC holds high expectations for Sean O’Malley, envisioning him as a potential superstar similar to ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor. Consequently, the promotion anticipates a spectacular fight between Vera and O’Malley. However, Sterling disagrees with the notion that it will unfold that way.
“I’m saying this is like Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis or Rose Namajunas vs Carla Esparza,” Sterling predicted that the fight between O’Malley and Vera would be as uneventful as some of the most boring fights in UFC history. “If you’re Chito, you fight this guy boring,” Sterling further stated that Vera could secure a victory against O’Malley only by adopting a more tedious fighting style.
Drawing on his experience fighting O’Malley, Sterling stated that O’Malley excels as a patient counterstriker, making it challenging to adopt an aggressive approach against him. Sterling pointed out that O’Malley’s success against fighters like Petr Yan and Pedro Munhoz occurred only when the latter two aggressively attempted to attack O’Malley.
It was the patient counterstriking that enabled O’Malley to claim the bantamweight title from Sterling at UFC 292. O’Malley was in attendance at UFC 298 where he scouted two of his potential opponents, Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan.
Aljamain Sterling back Sean O’Malley to win against Marlon Vera
Aljamain Sterling via his podcast, the Weekly Scraps, predicted a win for his former foe Sean O’Malley in his title defense against Marlon Vera. Sterling had earlier leaned towards Vera but recent developments made him have a change of heart.
“I’m hearing through the great vine that he (Marlon Vera) didn’t really have a great camp,” Sterling said of what made him predict victory for O’Malley. “I’m leaning towards O’Malley to get it done. I’m gonna say, I don’t think he’ll finish by decision, maybe a split decision. I’m saying split decision,” Sterling gave out his prediction for the fight.
🚨 Aljamain Sterling says he’s heard that Chito Vera didn’t have a great camp for #UFC299, and he predicts that O’Malley will beat him.
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 3, 2024
He also predicts that their fight will be a boring fight, reminiscent of “Derrick Lewis vs Francis Ngannou, Carla Esparza vs Rose Namajunas”.… pic.twitter.com/l6LPIRAmDH
Aljamain Sterling also mentioned that Vera has a chance to win the fight, but Sterling believes it would be a dull victory, considering Vera’s supposed lack of patience. Additionally, the combination of O’Malley’s floating footwork and counterstriking might frustrate Vera, leading to potential aggressive mistakes.
Sterling is set to make his featherweight debut in the UFC at UFC 300 against Calvin Kattar, aiming to become a two-division champion in the promotion. Coincidentally, O’Malley also harbors plans to win the featherweight title, mainly driven by his rivalry with Ilia Topuria.
Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling’s prediction for the UFC 299 main event? Leave your thoughts below!
