"That would be extra special" - Sean O'Malley reveals plans to shock people with "masterful" performance against Marlon Vera at UFC 299
UFC bantamweight king Sean O'Malley is all set to make his first title defense at UFC 299 against Marlon Vera. The bout will take place on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Ahead of the fight, 'Sugar' sat down with Helen Yee for a chat. During the conversation, the 29-year-old was asked whether he expects the fight against Vera to go the distance.
O'Malley branded it a possibility as the Ecuadorian is a durable athlete. The UFC champion then added that he feels confident about himself heading into the fight. O'Malley said that a possible finish against Vera, who has never been knocked out or submitted before, would make the victory 'extra special':
“There’s a possibility it does [go the distance]. He’s never been submitted, never been knocked out. He’s very, very durable. I just truly, truly believe that I’m on another level and going to bring a level of performance that the UFC has never even seen. I think I’m gonna hit a level that people will be shocked at, and I’m gonna put on a masterful, beautiful performance... We’ve seen ‘Aljo’ get knocked out, but we’ve just never seen ‘Chito’ get finished. That would be extra special.”
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments from the 1:58 mark below:
O'Malley and 'Chito' first locked horns at UFC 252 in August 2020. That night, Vera became the only fighter to defeat 'Sugar' as he scored a TKO victory in the first round of the fight.
UFC 299: Who else is competing on the star-studded card?
UFC 299 is stacked from top to bottom with thrilling matchups. In the co-main event, UFC star Dustin Poirier will face off against rising contender Benoit Saint Denis in a five-round lightweight showdown.
Michael Page will also make his UFC debut on the March 9 card. 'Venom' will go toe-to-toe against Kevin Holland in a 170-pound fight.
Below is a look at the main card of UFC 299, which will take place in Miami, Florida:
Main event: Sean O'Malley vs.Marlon Vera - bantamweight title
Co-main event: Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis - lightweight
Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page - welterweight
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena - welterweight
Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong - bantamweight