AND STILL!!!

Bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, was out to settle the score once and for all against the only man to hand him a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) loss (watch it), Marlon Vera, in UFC 299’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event tonight (Sat., March 9, 2024) inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

“Suga” has his detractors, but it’s hard to argue with back-to-back wins over Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling (watch it), the two most recent champions at 135 pounds. O’Malley may or may not be a super star in the making, but he’s more than proven himself as an elite talent and special knockout artist. Vera, meanwhile, was eager to prove that his first victory was no fluke, while also attempting to become UFC’s first-ever Ecuadorian champion.

Enough talk — it’s time to fight!

Live updates will begin to flow below the moment the two fighters make their way to the Octagon …

“Chito,” the challenger, was the first to make the walk to the dulcet tones of his buddy, Action Bronson:

Then, it was time for the “Suga Show” to roll into the 305:

Round one:

O’Malley came out of his corner flicking and twitching, with Vera flicking out a front kick that caught nothing but air. Low kicks early from O’Malley, perhaps looking to turn the tables on “Chito” after their initial encounter ended similarly. Spinning back kick to the body from O’Malley as Vera remained incredibly patient … as usual. Vera opened up with a nice combination, finally, after about two minutes, but O’Malley was nowhere to be found. O’Malley continued to just sit outside range and touch “Chito,” who finally found the lead leg (and body) of O’Malley with his kicks. O’Malley scored well down the stretch with some solid body work. Strong round for the champion, who was very accurate and economic early.

Round two:

No surprised in the Vera corner — it seems they were willing to give up the first round. O’Malley started the second with a nice spinning kick, which grazed Vera. More low kicks from O’Malley, who started to work the body and upstairs as Vera just shelled up. Another strong low kick from O’Malley as Vera just couldn’t find a home for anything significant. O’Malley started to pump jabs and really let his hands go, paralyzing Vera, who was unable to counter with anything meaningful. Vera tried to corner him with a flurry, but O’Malley was just too fast, too slick to get trapped. Vera finally with a nice overhand left, then a combination, which only appeared to anger O’Malley, who drilled “Chito” with a clean knee that would have slept a farm animal, but not Vera. O’Malley really stepped on the gas late and Vera had zero answers besides a singular shot upstairs. Another very strong round for O’Malley.

Round three:

Vera was cut under his eye and bleeding from his nose between rounds — that video replay on the O’Malley knee was just brutal. His corner called for something in a code word, “Vato,” and Vera started the round more aggressive. O’Malley, though, stuck to his script, staying on the outside and picking apart Vera with his superior striking skills. O’Malley pumped the right hand jab, then the left, just piecing up Vera, who could only muster a hard kick to the body. Big left hook from O’Malley, who was just doing whatever he pleases with 15 minutes in the tank. Vera needed a finish heading into the championship rounds — it was that lopsided through three rounds.

Round four:

Vera finally showed some signs of life in the final seconds of round three, perhaps realizing his championship dreams were slipping away. Vera had a little extra pep in his step, but O’Malley continued to sharp-shoot from distance. Nice uppercut from Vera, then connected with a grimy flying knee along the cage, not giving O’Malley the space he needed to operate. Another decent combination from Vera, who was putting it all on the line late. O’Malley’s nose, as a result, began to leak and his mouth was wide open. Nice combination from Vera as O’Malley switched stances in an effort to confuse the surging “Chito.” O’Malley did some solid work down the stretch with counters, but it seemed like Vera did enough to finally get on the scoreboard.

Round five:

Even if he did win round four, Vera needed a finish in the fifth … and his corner let him know it between rounds. Vera started with a low kick, but O’Malley made him pay with a hard shot that had “Chito” blinking as if he couldn’t see straight. O’Malley smelled the blood in the water and was on Vera like white on rice, but he would just not go away. Vera was squinting out of his left eye and putting his hands around his eyes like he was trying to see far — vision appeared to be a problem. As a result, O’Malley continued to coast. Indeed, Vera — a historically slow starter — could never get out of second gear. He’s so durable and game that he made it entertaining, but O’Malley was just on another level.

Final result: O’Malley def. Vera via unanimous decision

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