Sean O’Malley puts on show, routs Marlon Vera at UFC 299

MIAMI — Sean O'Malley's only career loss came against Marlon “Chito” Vera. And now he's avenged it, cementing himself as the UFC's next big star.

In a striking and stylish performance befitting someone who wore blue and pink cornrows and custom pink fight shorts, O'Malley defeated Vera by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44) in of the main event of UFC 299 on Saturday night. . With the victory, O'Malley earned his first successful defense of the UFC bantamweight title.

O'Malley's combinations and footwork shined throughout most of the fight. He landed sniper-like left hands and hard crosses to the right. A right knee to the middle from O'Malley seriously injured Vera in the second round, opening a cut under Vera's right eye. In the third, O'Malley sent Vera to her knees with a right hand.

“I felt something in his face break,” O’Malley said of the knee. “I don't know if it was his nose or his cheek. I felt something snap.”

Vera was taken to the hospital after Saturday's fight as a precaution due to possible head and facial injuries, according to the UFC.

O'Malley landed 230 significant strikes, the third most in a UFC title fight and the most in a UFC bantamweight title fight, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Vera landed 89 significant strikes.

The rugged Vera, who is tied with heavyweight champion Jon Jones for most fights (23) in UFC history without finishing, had moments in the fourth and fifth rounds, showing off his cardio and its durability. But O'Malley still won every round on the scorecards.

“He put on a clinic and I don’t know if anyone can finish Chito Vera,” UFC CEO Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “The guy has a chin like I’ve never seen.”

O'Malley wasn't happy that he didn't eliminate Vera.

“Not being finished just doesn’t sit well with me,” he said.

The crowd at the Kaseya Center was largely divided. A massive contingent from Vera's native Ecuador descended on Miami this week, with plenty of singing and chanting in the streets Saturday afternoon before the gates opened. The UFC had more than 40 media members from Ecuador alone at the event, along with more than a dozen additional Spanish-speaking journalists. Fans in the arena chanted “Chito” as the fight began. O'Malley, however, is one of the biggest stars in the UFC and, by the end, the spectators were chanting for him.

“He's on his way,” White said of O'Malley, citing a $14.14 million UFC 299 haul, the fourth highest in the promotion's history. “He's the biggest star in bantamweight history. We can say that now.”

Vera defeated O'Malley in 2020 after O'Malley injured his leg on a Vera kick. O'Malley has denied losing that fight, even though defeat is on his record. He has repeatedly claimed that he is still undefeated.

“I think we can all agree that I’m still undefeated,” O’Malley said.

Afterward, O'Malley said White would have to pull a private jet for him to fly to Spain to fight new UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in a superfight. O'Malley said he is also ready to fight top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili.

“If you want me to take out Merab, I will too,” O’Malley said.

Coming in, ESPN had O'Malley, 29, ranked No. 10 on its MMA pound-for-pound list. At bantamweight, O'Malley was No. 1 and Vera was No. 8.

O'Malley (18-1, 1 NC) is undefeated in seven straight fights, dating back to the loss to Vera. The Montana native, who lives and trains in Arizona, won the title by knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August.

Vera (23-9-1) had won five of her last six fights heading into the contest. The Ecuadorian, who lives and trains in Southern California, was coming off a unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292. Vera, 31, has the most finishes (10) in the history of UFC bantamweight.

“I’ll come back,” Vera said after Saturday’s fight. “I will be champion one day.”