Michael Bisping explains why Sean O'Malley vs. 'Chito' Vera 2 may not happen any time soon
Sean O'Malley and Marlon 'Chito' Vera clashed last August at UFC 252. The fight ended with Vera leaving 'Sugar' with his first and only loss in MMA.
Sean O’Malley explains his injury and loss to Chito Vera at the weekend #UFC252 https://t.co/AikS6G99Mk
Since then Sean O'Malley has gone on to win his last three fights, all of which came by way of finishes.
'Chito', meanwhile, has won two of his last three, only falling to defeat via unanimous decision against Jose Aldo. Most recently, the Ecuadorian secured a a victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 268. The win came via a devastating front-kick knockout.
With both men rising up the bantamweight ladder and experiencing octagon success in recent weeks, many have suggested now is the time for the pair to run it back. Michael Bisping, however, has explained why he doesn't think it'll happen.
During an episode of his Believe You Me podcast, 'The Count' said:
"I mean 'Chito' will take it, he's not asked if he doesn't see it as a fluke, he sees it as a legitimate win, rightly so. O'Malley's p*ssed. I asked him about it, he said, 'Yeah i would one hundred percent take that,' but again, the problem with that match up is that you f*** one of them, they're both stars. 'Chito' is great. You give him a loss, that's a massive setback. O'Malley's on the rise big time. You give him a loss, two in a row to Marlon Vera, slows the momentum, it slows down the possibility of these huge fights for him down the line. Fan perspective, yes, logic matches up, but it kind of derails one of them and they're both on the trajectory of doing great things, know what I mean?"
You can catch the entire podcast episode below:
Who could Sean O'Malley fight next?
With or without a Vera rematch, the 'Suga Show' must go on. With Sean O'Malley having no shortage of possible opponents in the stacked bantamweight division, many names have been linked to the rising star.
Dominick Cruz competed on the same card as Sean O'Malley this past saturday at UFC 269 in a winning effort against Pedro Munhoz.
Since last year, Cruz and O'Malley have entertained the thought of facing each other. 'Sugar' even recently took a jab at the former champion for being on the prelims of UFC 269, while he opened the main card.
One of my main takeaways from #UFC269 is that I would really like to see Sean O’Malley vs Dominick Cruz. https://t.co/odseo4jXcn
Another possible opponent is up-and-coming talent Adrian Yanez. O'Malley previously made his desire to face his fellow prospect clear, a feeling shared by Yanez as well.
Sean O’Malley sets his sights on Adrian Yanez after his #UFC269 fight vs. Raulian Paiva 👀
Full story: bit.ly/3nL5lgS https://t.co/evI5HAYQqF
The Mexican-American puncher has really put on a show in his first five UFC outings, winning four of the five bouts by way of knockouts.
Much like Sean O'Malley, Yanez is unranked, but a win for either man would surely catapult the victor to bigger names. The fight between the two knockout artists would certainly provide fireworks.