Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
After a careful grooming process, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) eventually matched up its most promising Bantamweight up-and-comer, Sean O’Malley, against a very tough 14-fight Octagon veteran, Marlon Vera, tonight (Sat., Aug. 15, 2020) at UFC 252, which took place inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, to see if “Sugar” was indeed ready for the next level.
In the end, O’Malley didn’t live up to the hype tonight, with Vera scoring an impressive first round technical knockout upset win over, perhaps, a compromised opponent.
Round One:
Vera stared the action off with a low kick, then the two traded more of the same, both of which canceled out each other. O’Malley started to mixed it up with push kicks, compelling Vera to switch stances early. O’Malley scored with a hard kick to the ribs, which Vera tried to catch but didn’t. O’Malley feinted and shifted, attempting to bait Vera into something detrimental. Vera chased him along the fence with high kicks, but none of them found their marks. O’Malley suddenly appeared to turn up lame, shaking out his right leg and basically avoiding Vera as best he can. Vera sensed something was up and began to target O’Malley’s lower half. O’Malley chased with right hands, but Vera backed up against the fence and measured his shot. O’Malley fell to the canvas awkwardly and Vera pounced, drilling him with a right hand to the temple and then a follow-up elbow to the forehead. Moments later the referee stepped in and stopped the action, while O’Malley grabbed for his ankle as if he sustained some sort of significant injury.
What a big win for Vera, who stepped up to the occasion and wiped out one of UFC’s most marketable up-and-coming stars. He’s a super tough dude, one who should not have his big win overshadowed by a potential in-fight injury.
Final result: Marlon Vera defeats Sean O’Malley via technical knockout in round one
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