SEAN O’MALLEY continued his reign as bantamweight champion with a dominant display against Marlon Vera in their hotly-anticipated rematch.
The fan favourite looked to make his first defence of the 135lbs throne on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 299 in Miami.
GETTYSean O’Malley locked horns with Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299[/caption]
GettyThe bantamweight champion was on point from the get-go[/caption]
GettySean O’Malley brilliantly managed range against Marlon Vera[/caption]
GettyO’Malley retained his bantamweight throne via unanimous decision[/caption]
Standing between the colourful character and a new ruby on his title was former foe Vera, who knocked him out cold nearly four years ago.
O’Malley, 29, was adamant he’d exact his revenge on the Ecuadorian and prove his victory at the UFC Apex was a fluke.
And he did just that with a dominant decision win, which he hopes has laid the groundwork for a champ-vs-champ fight against featherweight king Ilia Topuria.
He roared: “Dana get me a jet to Spain. I’m coming for Ilia Topuria.
“If you guys want me to knock out Merab [Dvalishvili], I’ll do that, too.”
Bitter rivals O’Malley and Vera opted not to touch gloves after referee Keith Peterson kicked off proceedings.
O’Malley was happy to stay on the outside and looked to feint his way in as Vera gauged his range with front kicks.
Defeaning chants of, “Ecuador, Ecuador, Ecuador” rang throughout the arena in a bid to spur ‘Chito’ on to victory.
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O’Malley soon landed a straight right after they faded away, but a blocked body kick from Vera brought them back to life.
A switch to southpaw paved the way for O’Malley to land a beautiful straight left, which drew a big reaction from the crowd.
Vera returned the favour moments later, sparking “Ole, Ole” chants in his favour.
O’Malley went to the body multiple times in the closing moments of the round before missing a telegraphed straight right.
O’Malley opened up round two with a high spinning heel kick which partially grazed the target.
Vera, surprisingly, didn’t utilise the leg kicks he used to great effect in their first fight.
A partially blocked head kick from O’Malley drew a big reaction from the crowd just after the minute-and-a-half mark.
The head of Vera was snapped back by two one-two combinations just before the two-minute mark and gave him a harsh reminder of the speed difference between them.
His head was almost sent into orbit thirty seconds later when O’Malley landed a huge knee straight up the middle.
But the Ecuadorian ate it like a packed lunch and defended the ensuing onslaught, although he ate a head kick and right hand before the horn.
Vera came out aggressive early in the third but left himself open to counters from the champion.
And his lack of footwork left him unable to consistently land noteworthy shots, although he did end the round with a good right hand.
GETTYSean O’Malley was deadly and accurate from distance[/caption]
GETTYMarlon Vera nearly had his head taken off by a vicious flying knee in the second round[/caption]
Vera was once again spurred on by his countrymen early in the fourth.
And their backing led him to put his foot on the gas and land a nice knee as he aggressively closed the distance.
Vera managed to draw blood with a good straight left but soon let his activity level drop again.
That allowed O’Malley to go back to work on the outside and land shots from range.
Vera was urged by head coach Jason Parillo to empty the tank if he wanted to become his country’s first UFC titleholder.
But a big right hand from the champion soon put him in retreat mode and made him wary of all the shots coming back his way.
O’Malley looked to stay on the outside in the final minute of the stanza but got drawn into a war in the final 30 seconds after a knee from the challenger, who landed a brutal liver shot just as the final horn sounded.
All three judges were united in their decision, scoring the contest 50-45, 50-45, 50-44 in O’Malley’s favour.
A heartbroken Vera said in his post-fight interview: “I’ll be back. I’ll be champion one day.”
GETTYMarlon Vera’s face was battered and bruised after the final horn[/caption]