“He was extremely greasy” - Marlon Vera compares grabbing Sean O’Malley to “grabbing a fish out of the water” during their UFC 299 bout
Marlon Vera is still insistent that something was off about Sean O'Malley at UFC 299.
Nine days after falling short in his first UFC title fight on March 9, Vera joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to openly discuss his thoughts on the loss. Vera felt that O'Malley's braided hair was unusually greasy:
"Every time I was grabbing Sean, it was like grabbing a fish out of the water. Maybe he didn't attempt to, but he was extremely greasy on his head. That's why when I hurt him at the end of the round, I grabbed his head, that let it slip... Maybe if he was dry I could've hurt him, maybe not, I'm still what I am for a reason."
'Chito' cited his knowledge of previously braiding his own hair at UFC 268, recalling that the promotion's hair stylist purposely uses little product to prevent slippery texture. Vera stated that commercial hair stylists would use substantially more gel at a traditional salon to keep the braids tighter.
Vera initially accused O'Malley of having greasy hair the day after the fight on X, claiming the bantamweight champion was "grease to the bone."
Marlon Vera names Petr Yan as a potential next opponent
Despite losing in dominant fashion at UFC 299, Marlon Vera is looking to return at the end of 2024 against Petr Yan.
Yan also competed on UFC 299, winning a competitive decision over Song Yadong in the pay-per-view main card opener. The win for Yan ended a three-fight losing streak beginning with a championship loss to Aljamain Sterling in 2022.
Vera mentioned his interest in returning to compete at Madison Square Garden in the same interview. 'Chito' last fought in the iconic arena at UFC 268 with a knockout win over Frankie Edgar.
The updated UFC rankings following UFC Vegas 88, the most recent event, currently have Yan at No. 4 and Vera one spot behind at No. 5 in the bantamweight division.
Watch Vera's full appearance on The MMA Hour below: