UFC 299 brought a close to the longstanding rivalry between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera. O’Malley suffered his lone defeat to Vera in a somewhat anticlimactic fashion after his ankle gave out. Since then, O’Malley had gone on an impressive run, becoming the bantamweight champion of the world. Vera had had some mixed results, losing to Jose Aldo and Cory Sandhagen. However, he also delivered spectacular knockouts against legends like Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz. O’Malley’s desire to settle the score would manifest, this time for a world title.
The fight could hardly have gone better for Sean O’Malley. He completely shut “Chito” down, winning all five rounds convincingly. Vera, of course, deserves praise for surviving the full 25 minutes after sustaining tremendous damage. O’Malley nearly finished Vera on several occasions, most notably with his vicious knee in round 2. Vera continued to apply pressure in the later rounds, but Sean managed his energy well and maintained his volume.
Image – AP News
Although O’Malley did not get the finish he wanted, going the distance made this result even more impressive in some ways. Sean had never fought into the championship rounds prior to this fight. His control of the fight was impressive, especially against a fighter known for late knockouts. Furthermore, although Vera has lost before, Sean beat him in resounding fashion. Unlike Sandhagen or Aldo, Sean did not use any offensive grappling, soundly outclassing Vera on the feet the entire fight. While many can argue that Sean should have fought a more deserving contender, this result was undeniably a great addition to his resume.
Image – Marca
O’Malley still has some daunting challenges ahead of him. Merab Dvalishvili will bring a pace that O’Malley has never felt before. If he manages to score takedowns on Sean, O’Malley’s entire offensive arsenal may fall apart. Cory Sandhagen also presents an interesting stylistic problem. He also has high level striking and footwork, but has greatly improved his wrestling as well. Moreover, fans are noticing the rise of one Umar Nurmagomedov, who may become the most dangerous contender of all. The “Suga Show’s” latest outing was a big hit, and we have no idea what we can expect next.
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