"He's got a name because of me" - Sean O'Malley has a piece of advice for 'Chito' Vera ahead of a possible rematch
Sean O'Malley has sent some advice to his former opponent Marlon 'Chito' Vera. When recently asked about the possibility of a rematch against the Ecuadorian, 'Sugar' claimed that the No.8-ranked UFC bantamweight needs to earn it first.
While speaking with Theo Von on his This Past Weekend Podcast, O'Malley suggested that he made Vera's name, suggesting 'Chito' needs to capitalize on it by building himself up.
O'Malley said:
"That's kind of how I feel with the 'Chito' rematch. You'll earn it, like that's what I'm saying, it will happen when it happens. Like build yourself up, make your name. I made a name for 'Chito', like he's got a name because of me, build yourself up, but you know, build a big fight."
Watch Sean O'Malley's conversation with Theo Von below:
In the co-main event of UFC 252, Vera defeated O'Malley via TKO in the first round. The ground-and-pound finish came after 'Sugar' appeared to suffer a case of drop foot midway through the opening frame. The Montana native had to be carried from the octagon on a stretcher.
#UFC252WOW 😳
Chito Vera takes Sean O'Malley from the ranks of the undefeated with some nasty elbows 💪 #UFC252 https://t.co/3zjmzdAMwN
Sean O'Malley gives his take on Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling 2
Sean O'Malley recently gave a breakdown of the upcoming UFC bantamweight championship fight between 135-poud kingpin Aljamain Sterling and interim titleholder Petr Yan.
The two men will collide in the co-main event of UFC 273, slated for April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.
One corner spot is taken by @SugaSeanMMA 🐩 https://t.co/rW5bJNRZIt
'Sugar' believes the reigning champion will have trouble keeping up with 'No Mercy' if the fight goes into the deep waters. On an episode of the TimboSugarShow, O'Malley explained:
"Aljo is pretty jacked, he's got a lot of muscle. For him to keep that pace, he's got to keep those muscles going for 25 minutes [but] they slow down, they start slowing down... I think Petr had seven takedowns... Once Aljo realized he couldn't take him down, it was a mental switch. Like, fatigue started kicking in. But Aljo is a dangerous motherf***er! I think Aljo approaches this fight a lot different. And either, like you said, he gets pieced up worse or it's a whole new fight. I'm very curious and interested in this fight now."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments on Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2 in the video below:
O'Malley is currently coming off a win against Raulian Paiva, whom he beat at UFC 269 last December. The victory was the biggest victory of O'Malley's career to date and catapulted him into the rankings.