In the eyes of champion Sean
O’Malley, revenge is a dish best served with sugar.
Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight
champion Sean
O’Malley (17-1) seems to be set on rematching Marlon Vera
(21-8) for his first title defense. Back in 2020, O’Malley and Vera
faced off inside the Octagon at UFC 252. During the course of the
first round, Vera’s calf kicks impaired “Sugar” severely,
eventually crumbling to the floor and succumbing to a TKO defeat
via elbows and punches. Since then, O’Malley has repeatedly
mentioned avenging the loss and as per the 28-year-old, now is the
right time.
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“Sugar” recently claimed the bantamweight crown by putting Aljamain
Sterling (23-4) away in the second round with strikes at UFC
292 in August. While some believe Sterling’s teammate Merab
Dvalishvili should be next in line for a title shot, especially
if Sterling doesn’t get the rematch, O’Malley sees this as an
opportunity to avenge the only loss of his professional mixed
martial arts career.
In a recent interview with The Schmo,
O’Malley said:
“I remember the first time we fought, everyone’s like, ‘Aren’t you
going to ask for the rematch?’ I said, ‘No no no, that rematch will
happen when it’s supposed to happen.’ And right now, it’s supposed
to happen. This is the fight that I want, but we’ll see… I think
as a business, it makes sense, me vs. Chito, to make the most
money,” O’Malley stated.
On the same card where O’Malley took the 135-pound crown, Vera
faced Pedro
Munhoz and earned a unanimous decision victory. The 30-year-old
from Ecuador, winner of five of his last six fights, has repeatedly
called out “Sugar” for a rematch ever since the Montana native got
his hands on the belt. While O’Malley had initially mentioned a
possible return to the Octagon in December, he revealed during the
same interview that he would make his next UFC appearance in 2024.
The promotion has hinted that a rematch between O’Malley and Vera
could be the next bantamweight championship collision, but nothing
is set in stone.