This past Saturday in the main event of UFC 299, the bantamweight title was on the line in a rematch. “Suga” Sean O’Malley (18-1, 1 NC) was looking to avenge his only career loss and successfully defend his title against Marlon “Chito” Vera (23-9-1).
These two first fought back in 2020 with Vera getting the TKO win. After landing the perfect calf kick which hindered O’Malley, Chito followed up and ended up getting the win. O’Malley has been adamant for years that the victory was a fluke and on Saturday night, he was looking to prove that he was the better fighter.
From the opening bell on Saturday night, it was clear that O’Malley was a step ahead of Chito. Vera normally starts slow and that combined with O’Malley’s advantages stacked the deck early on. O’Malley completely outclassed Vera throughout the fight and tested the iron chin of Vera over five rounds.
Chito did start having a little success towards the end of the fight but it was much too late. The champion didn’t get the finish he wanted at UFC 299, but he won a completely lopsided decision.
What’s next after UFC 299?
After the fight was over, O’Malley took to the mic to call out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. O’Malley has since clarified that he just thinks Topuria is the biggest fight for him, but he will fight whoever the UFC puts in front of him.
There’s a very clear number one contender right now and he’s on a collision course with O’Malley. O’Malley’s next fight is going to be against Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili’s last two wins have come over former champions Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. He’s proven to the world that he’s the number one contender and he definitely should be getting the next crack at O’Malley.