Marlon Vera thinks he will beat Sean O’Malley once again if given the opportunity. He recently spoke to The Schmo regarding the matter. Sean has a fight coming up against Pedro Munhoz which is scheduled to take place at UFC 276. But Vera thinks he and O’Malley may once again cross paths in the near future.
O’Malley was one of the most exciting talents in the UFC in 2020. After making his UFC debut in 2017, the 27-year-old was on an unbeaten run of 4 fights in the promotion. But his hype train was derailed as Marlon Vera beat him via TKO at UFC 252.
Sean was an overwhelming favourite coming into the fight. However, a kick from Vera momentarily disabled Sean’s leg which gave Marlon the chance to land some vicious ground and pound and finish the bout in the very first round.
But O’Malley has bounced back since then. He has beaten Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva back to back. Now he is looking to take the next big step in his UFC career. He will fight the no. 10 ranked UFC bantamweight, Pedro Munhoz. If O’Malley wins that fight, he will break into the Top 10 and will aim to fight someone in the Top 5.
In that case, the rematch becomes the most logical next step. Marlon Vera is ranked 5th in the division and it provides UFC with the perfect opportunity to match them up once again. Not only will the superstar get to avenge his loss; but Sean will also break into the elite class of the division.
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However, it will not be easy to accomplish that as Vera himself has been on a killer run. His latest victims include Rob Font, Frankie Edgar and Davey Grant. During his interview, Chito seemed more than confident that he will repeat his success in the rematch as well. He said,
“[Sean o’malley] has a fight coming up, I Don’t have a fight yet, but if they want to make it happen, I’ll kick his ass again, put him out the same way. He can keep talking, I’ll keep winning.” (h/t via MMA Fighting)
What is next for Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera?
As mentioned previously, ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley will take on Pedro Munhoz on the main card of UFC 276 on July 2nd. While O’Malley is on a 3 fight win streak, Munhoz is coming off 2 back to back losses to Jose Aldo and Dominic Cruz. Hence it is the perfect kind of match up for Suga to show off his skills and get a highlight-reel finish.
As for Marlon Vera, he beat Rob Font in April to attain the no. 5 ranking. Currently, there is no fight that he is being linked to. But it will not be surprising to see him standing across Sean O’Malley in the very near future in the rematch.