"I am on another level" - Sean O'Malley shares bold prediction for Marlon Vera rematch at UFC 299
Sean O'Malley recently weighed in on his rematch with Marlon Vera at UFC 299.
'Sugar' is preparing to defend his bantamweight title against Vera in the headlining bout of the third pay-per-view event of the year, scheduled for March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
During a recent interview with combat sports reporter Helen Yee, O'Malley explained why he picked Vera for his first title defense:
"I think it's the biggest fight in the division. I think it's an important fight for what happened the first time, I claim that I'm undefeated, and he claims that he beat me. Now March 9 we get to settle it to see who is right."
Previewing his performance while acknowledging Vera's durability, O'Malley added:
"I mean, there's a possibility it does [go to a decision], he's never been submitted, never been knocked out. He's very very durable, I just truly truly believe that I am on another level and that I'm going to bring a level of performance that the UFC has never even seen. I think I'm going to hit a level that people will be shocked at."
The 29-year-old secured a stunning second-round TKO win against Aljamain Sterling to clinch the 135-pound championship at UFC 292 last August. Now, he aims to replicate that success against 'Chito' at UFC 299. He concluded:
"Yeah, I'm looking to do that again. We've seen Aljo get knocked out but we've just never seen 'Chito' get finished so that will be extra special."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (1:31):
O'Malley and 'Chito' first fought at UFC 252 in August 2020, where Vera scored a first-round TKO win, marking O'Malley's sole professional MMA defeat. However, 'Sugar' maintains that Vera's victory was merely a stroke of luck.
When Sean O'Malley looked back on his previous loss against Marlon Vera
In their 2020 fight, Marlon Vera delivered a devastating calf kick to Sean O'Malley, resulting in the American losing his balance due to damage to the peroneal nerve and ultimately leading to 'Chito' securing a ground-and-pound stoppage victory.
During his appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani last November, 'Sugar' stressed that the rarity of the injury he suffered is the only reason why Vera came out on top:
"It’s just, why isn’t that happening [more]? I mean, I guess it happens every once in a while — that nerve, right? But how many times? I feel like it was so lucky, and he knows it. He truly, deep down knows it. That was so lucky."
Additionally, he confidently conveyed that 'Chito' would not be able to replicate the same result in the rematch:
"He's genuinely scared of me. I know you're watching 'Chito', you know I’m way too fast for you, and you ain’t going to be able to do sh*t to me, bud. He knows it. I think he’s very nervous for this fight, 100 percent. He's too slow. What are you going to do? I’m going to piece him up."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (36:18):