O’Malley outclasses Vera to retain the bantamweight belt

Sean O’Malley outclassed Marlon Vera to make a successful first defence of his bantamweight championship at UFC 299, held at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, Florida, on the morning of Sunday 10 March 2024.

‘Suga’ used his superior reach, speed and footwork to pick apart ‘Chito’ (the only man to have beaten O’Malley in his professional MMA career) across five rounds, taking the fight 50-45 50-45 50-44 on the judges score cards for an emphatic unanimous decision triumph.

O’Malley dominated the first three rounds, with Vera only able to get a foothold in the fight in round four, showing more aggression to get closer to his opponent and make the match more of a ‘dog fight’.

However, ‘Suga’ reasserted control behind his jab in the fifth, and landed a beautiful straight right that closed Vera’s left eye. The champion controlled all but the last 30 seconds, with the durable Vera going out on his shield with a late flurry that was brave but ultimately futile.

“‘Chito’ is as tough as it gets, it feels great getting that one back,” said O’Malley in reference to his defeat to Vera back in 2020. The bantamweight champion went on to call out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

“He’s a scary f***ing dude, going up a weight class excites me,” added ‘Suga’.

The rest of the main card saw Dustin Poirier underline his status as one of the best lightweight fighter with a second-round KO of the up-and-coming Benoit Saint-Denis; Michael Page outpointed Kevin Holland over three rounds in the welterweight division; another welterweight clash saw Jack Della Maddalena stop Gilbert Burns in the third round; and in a bantamweight opener, former champion Petr Yan defeated Song Yadong via unanimous decision.

The UFC continues next Sunday, 17 March, with a Fight Night at the APEX Facility headlined by a heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura.

UFC 299 – Main card results

- Main event: Bantamweight championship: Sean O’Malley def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (50-45 50-45 50-44), R5, 5:00

- Lightweight: Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint-Denis via KO (punches), R2, 2:32

- Welterweight: Michael Page def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00

- Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena def. Gilbert Burns via KO (knees and elbows), R3, 3:43

- Bantamweight: Petr Yan def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00