SUMMARY
- How far have Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera come after their first fight?
- Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera is going to be a striking extravaganza.
UFC 299 features a much-anticipated bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Chito Vera. Sean O’Malley (17-1-1) fought Chito Vera (23-8) back in August 2020 at UFC 252.
The fight ended in an anti-climatic fashion. However, Chito Vera beat O’Malley after hurting him badly with calf kicks. Vera’s brutal calf kicks on O’Malley’s peroneal nerves changed the complexion of their first fight completely.
Sean O’Malley was arguably winning against Chito until Vera damaged O’Malley’s nerves with calf kicks. So there is an asterisk over Vera’s TKO win over O’Malley. However, all the questions will be answered when these two bantamweight elites face each other at UFC 299.
Sean O’Malley’s UFC losses, height, reach and more stats
The current UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, is certainly one of the biggest stars in MMA. His star power has skyrocketed after his stunning knockout win over former champion Aljamain Sterling.
Before winning the title, Sean O’Malley beat former UFC champion Petr Yan in a controversial split decision. O’Malley has 13 finishes in his MMA career, with only one submission win. O’Malley’s height and reach have been a crucial factor against all of his opponents. However, it won’t matter a lot when he takes on Chito Vera, who is one of the biggest bantamweights in the UFC.
Sean O'Malley's UFC stats
Wins | 17 |
Losses | 1 |
Knockout wins | 12 |
Height | 5 ft. 11 in. |
Reach | 72 inches |
Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera UFC losses, height, reach, and more stats
The most famous Ecuadorian MMA fighter, Marlon Chito Vera, is one of the most experienced fighters in the division. Since his UFC debut in 2014, Vera has stacked up some impressive wins in his resume, including Sean O’Malley, Pedro Munhoz, Frankie Edgar, Rob Font, and Dominick Cruz.
Even though Vera has lost 7 times in UFC his recent wins would certainly give him much-needed confidence as he fights for the title for the first time at UFC 299.
Marlon Vera's UFC stats
Wins | 23 |
Losses | 8 |
Knockout wins | 8 |
Submission wins | 10 |
Height | 5 ft. 8 in. |
Reach | 70 inches |
Sean O’Malley vs. Chito Vera 2 prediction
Both are two of the best strikers in the division, with scary knockout power. However, O’Malley is a more active fighter than Vera. We have often seen Vera lose early rounds because of his inactivity in many of his fights. However, Vera’s ability to finish the fight even in the later rounds makes him a dangerous opponent.
It’s highly unlikely we will see O’Malley finish Vera, as the Ecuadorian is one of the most durable fighters in UFC history. However, O’Malley has been rocked in his MMA career, especially in his fight against Petr Yan. The key for O’Malley is going to be activity on the feet and not letting Vera get into his rhythm.
Marlon Vera is training with Jason Parillo, who laid out the perfect plan for Bisping to knock out Rockhold for his UFC 299 title fight. And Vera’s fans better hope the title contender fights smartly and puts a lot of pressure on O’Malley, on the feet, from the get-go.
However, the duo of Sean O’Malley and Tim Welch cannot be underestimated. The key for O’Malley is going to be his cardio and maintaining high output to overwhelm Vera throughout the 5 rounds. But it’s easier said than done.
Even though Sean O’Malley is more accurate with his striking than Marlon Vera, it’s unlikely that Vera won’t find the opening to finish the fight in this 5-rounder. Cory Sandhagen managed to put on a clinic against Vera, but he had to resort to wrestling to overwhelm him. However, we should not expect O’Malley to wrestle with Vera in the rematch.
O’Malley is likely to win the early rounds against Marlon Vera. But, we might see Vera rise to the occasion and find the opening to land his damaging blows that will change the complexion of this fight. Vera is an underdog in this title fight. However, it won’t be surprising to see Vera pick up a late finish or edge out a close decision win against O’Malley.
Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera prediction: Marlon Vera wins by TKO