Chito Vera trashes UFC Bantamweight rival Sean O'Malley: 'He's a fake Conor McGregor'
UFC bantamweight contender Chito Vera, aka Marlon Vera, has taken a jibe at fellow bantamweight Sean O’Malley.
Chito Vera suggested that Sean O’Malley is pretending to be someone else. Vera believes that O’Malley is trying to be like MMA megastar Conor McGregor rather than just being himself.
Chito Vera and Sean O’Malley’s rivalry didn’t end after their UFC 252 fight
Marlon Vera, better known by his moniker Chito, entered his UFC 252 co-main event matchup against Sean O’Malley as the underdog.
Sean O’Malley is one of the top prospects in all of MMA right now and is well known for his vaunted KO power. Meanwhile, Marlon Vera too is regarded by many as a well-rounded fighter.
O’Malley injured his foot in the fight against Vera, who immediately attacked the former and won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Vera thereby became the first fighter to defeat O’Malley. However, in the days that followed their UFC 252 matchup, O’Malley has consistently asserted that Vera won only due to the freak injury and that he would surely beat Vera in the rematch.
Chito Vera isn’t interested in a rematch with Sean O’Malley but will fight him if the UFC offers it
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Chito Vera targeted Sean O’Malley, saying that he isn’t interested in a rematch with the latter. Vera noted that he isn’t here to make friends, and that he’s primarily focused on hurting his opponents.
Chito Vera insinuated that although MMA is a sport and martial arts are an important component of this sport, at the end of the day, it’s still two individuals fighting one another. Vera stated:
“The guy (Sean O’Malley) is a crybaby, you know? He’s a little b***h. You know he’s a b***h once, you’re gonna be a b***h forever. So I don’t care about the guy. You know he can talk whatever he wants. In my record, I have a win, I get more money. And you know he was talking all this c**p, and if you cannot back it up, maybe change your game.”
“Let’s be real. There is no big money in the rematch because first thing, he’s not Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, that’s money. Whoever fights Conor McGregor, it’s money.”
“Sean O’Malley is just like a lower version of Conor McGregor. Like, let’s see, he’s like the China version of him. You know, he’s made in China. So he’s fake. He’s not the same, you know. There’s only one Conor McGregor. There’s only one Chito Vera. There’s only one Jose Aldo. Once you try to be like somebody else, you’ll never be yourself and you’ll never be able to become what you want to be."
"So if you ask me, there’s not really money in the rematch. I won’t get paid any more if I fight his a**. Don’t get me wrong; Dana White told me, ‘you never refuse a fight’. They know I never refuse a fight. So if they call me one day to fight him or somebody else, I take it. I’m a person that – I like to make money. I like to make money through fighting. So they call me, they know I’m gonna be ready. I’m down for fighting anybody. They know that.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Presently, Chito Vera is set to compete in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 17 on December 19th. Vera faces former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a bantamweight bout.