Sean O’Malley has emerged as one of the most popular fighters in the UFC after entering the promotion following an impressive performance in the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. His first fight in the UFC was against Andre Soukhamthath, which he won by unanimous decision.
Sugar Sean was then out of action for two years due to an injury, followed by a USADA ban for using a prohibited substance. However, the bantamweight fighter made a strong comeback in March 2020, when he got the better of Jose Quionez in the first round by TKO. Another first-round TKO win followed for O’Malley when he was up against Eddie Wineland.
Sean O’Malley had become a star of the division with these consecutive TKOs, and fans were sure of him being the next big thing in the UFC. However, then came an experienced Marlon Vera to hand O’Malley the first defeat of his career, which is to date the only loss he has faced inside the Octagon.
O’Malley was originally supposed to face ‘Chito’ in 2019, but that couldn’t materialize due to his ban. However, when they did eventually lock horns in the following year, O’Malley’s unbeaten record in MMA got tarnished.
How did Marlon Vera beat Sean O’Malley?
The fight started with some fine kicks by O’Malley and at the same time, Marlon Vera looked composed and waited for the right moment. Chito then responded with a leg kick, which did not seem very dangerous at that point but damaged O’Malley’s nerve and led to him losing his mobility. Vera was smart enough to recognize this and then execute the attack.
He hit some really strong elbows on Sugar’s face, and the referee, Herb Dean, took no time to stop the fight and declare Marlon Vera the winner, which was almost inevitable after his opponent’s injury mid-fight.
Sean O’Malley got his revenge against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 299
O’Malley had become the UFC Bantamweight Champion after defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. Suga had expressed a desire to defend his title against Vera before he even became champion. His wish was granted as O’Malley met Vera at UFC 299 for his first title defense.
The UFC 299 crowd in Miami had chosen Vera’s side as they supported him throughout the fight week. Inside the Octagon, Vera could not give the fans what they wanted.
#UFC299 Official Result: Sean O’Malley (50-45, 50-45, 50-44 | @SugaSeanMMA) defeats Marlon “Chito” Vera by Unanimous Decision.
All Fight Results ➡️: https://t.co/HAkDTpV7ZF
— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 10, 2024
O’Malley fought skillfully and intelligently. Maybe against any other bantamweight fighter, O’Malley would have won the fight via a KO but Vera never went down. His extraordinary chin made his last 25 minutes. The five rounds, however, were just a beatdown. O’Malley won the fight via unanimous decision and defended his title successfully.