Sean O’Malley and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera are intertwined by destiny. As of now, Vera remains the only fighter to hold a victory over ‘Suga’. With Dana White announcing the two to clash at UFC 299 for the bantamweight title, fans are in for a treat.
O’Malley is fresh off the upset victory over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 via first-round TKO. Vera fought Pedro Munhoz in the undercard of the PPV which was enough for the promotion to put him in against O’Malley to contend for the title.
Sean O’Malley vs Chito Vera face-off
Dana White recently announced three blockbuster fights to headline UFC 297, UFC 298, and UFC 299. Fans are very much intrigued by all the fights, but the Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera fight at UFC 299 carries extra weight.
Vera being the only one to defeat O’Malley and O’Malley being the star that he is in the UFC, has laid the groundwork for a monumental clash at UFC 299. The matchup is very much appreciated by the UFC as the promotion has taken up the pre-fight promotion very early. Interestingly, Ilia Topuria who has a beef with O’Malley will be fighting for the featherweight title at UFC 298 against Alexander Volkanovski.
O’MALLEY vs VERA!!!! pic.twitter.com/VEm0bWPBFo
— danawhite (@danawhite) November 8, 2023
The UFC is in New York for UFC 295 where Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira would be fighting for the vacant light heavyweight title. However, fans are even more entertained with the presence of O’Malley and Vera in New York.
The face-off was not very violent but the two fighters traded jabs accusing each other of being late for the promotional event. The fact that the UFC is doing promotional events for the bout which is 5 months away is a testament to the star power of O’Malley. Vera is known to be very durable, and the fight promises to be exciting.
Sean O’Malley vs Chito Vera head-to-head
UFC 299 would not be the first time that Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera are locked inside the octagon. That happened earlier when both were nowhere near the stars that they are now. Vera was a hot prospect who participated in Ultimate Fighter: Latin America whereas O’Malley was an entertaining KO artist who made his name at the Dana White Contender Series.
O’Malley and Vera first fought in the co-main event of UFC 252 headlined by the trilogy fight between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. The fight was poised to be O’Malley’s entry into the bantamweight rankings. However, an unfortunate injury happened that derailed his hype.
O’Malley injured his peroneal nerve after a leg kick from Vera that took away the feelings from his right leg. It happened in the first round and Vera easily defeated O’Malley via ground and pound. However, the setback did not hinder O’Malley’s progression as he remained unbeaten in the next 5 fights to earn a title shot that he won against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.
UFC 299 is expected to do very big in terms of PPV numbers. O’Malley was a huge fan favorite at UFC 292 in Boston which was the presumed home turf of Aljamain Sterling. Moreover, O’Malley having the Irish heritage does help in securing the services of the hardcore Irish fans who did the same for Conor McGregor on his rise.
Do you think Sean O’Malley would make it 1-1 at UFC 299 against Marlon Vera? Leave your comment below!
