Before and after their fight at UFC 252 in August 2020, where “Chito” beat “Suga” by technical knockout in the first round, Marlon Vera and Sean O’Malley never stopped arguing with each other. This has led to an ongoing, bitter rivalry between the two men. “Chito” defeated “Suga” via technical knockout.
Despite Earlier Disagreements, They Are Now Able to Work Together
Even though they had some conflicts in the past, Vera has never diminished O’Malley’s abilities. In point of fact, “Chito” has made it a point to give “Suga” his due respect in terms of fighting, and he claims that despite what many people assume, he believes that O’Malley has shown on several occasions that he is the genuine article.
Vera said this during a recent interview on The MMA Hour. “For all of the people who think he stinks and he’s all talk, I never believed that” Vera added (via MMA Fighting). “As I have always said in the past, the individual is capable of combat, has the skill, and possesses tools.
Because I believe he is capable of fighting, I believe that he is the only one who is truly shocked that he can demonstrate his worth to everyone else. My impression is that he holds the reins of power.
He’s indeed a bit of a snake, but so are the other players in his category, and even the other players in the Top 15. At that level, everyone can get along with anyone.
O’Malley resumed his streak of victories this past weekend (Saturday, October 22, 2022) at UFC 280, when he defeated Petr Yan using a contentious split decision (highlights).
He’ll Now Face Aljamain Sterling for The UFC
As a result of the shocking win, he is now in the position to confront Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight championship of the UFC.
Vera thinks that this shouldn’t happen, even though some people may still believe that O’Malley shouldn’t be next.
“As a fan of combat sports, I believe that anybody who has defeated the number one contender should be allowed to compete for the championship.
“That should go without saying,” Vera said. “It doesn’t matter what O’Malley’s rating is; he defeated the number one contender, and he should compete for the championship.
However, the fact that everyone believes it was a lenient decision and that everyone believes he was let off the hook for that one is likely to hinder what the UFC will do with him.
“It’s the same thing that took place during the battle with Song Yadong. I was taken advantage of; they gave me the O’Malley fight first, and then they gave me the [Jose] Aldo fight after that.
I came out on top despite having lost. Since O’Malley was given the decision as a gift, they may do the same thing, in which case they presumably keep him in check and have someone else carry it out. But we’ll see.
One more time, this is up to Dana and the UFC. We’ll have to wait and see what they decide to do.”
Henry Cejudo has not stopped throwing his name into the ring and has been hinting at a comeback to action for quite some time now, but there has been no movement whatsoever on that particular front.
Finishing Line
Even the President of the UFC, Dana White, does not know for certain whether or not the former “champ-champ” is participating in the USADA testing pool.
For the time being, O’Malley is in a comfortable position as the favorite to fight “Funkmaster,” who just defeated T.J. Dillashaw in Abu Dhabi to retain his belt, maybe in the early months of 2023.
After winning his last four matches in a row, including a knockout victory over Dominick Cruz, Vera is well on his way to securing a spot in his first-ever battle for a UFC championship.
