Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is holding a special pre-fight press conference on Thursday, LIVE at 6 p.m. ET for the upcoming UFC 299: “O’Malley vs. Vera” pay-per-view (PPV) mixed martial arts (MMA) event on ESPN+. Headlined by the bantamweight title fight between reigning 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley and longtime division rival Marlon Vera, UFC 299 pops off this Sat. night (March 9, 2024) at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Lightweight co-headliners Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint Denis will also be in attendance.
Expect a “diverse fanbase” to be tuning in.
“I’ve had some old ladies recognize me at the grocery store,” O’Malley told Yahoo! Sports. “I’m like, how do you even watch fighting? But I also have a pretty strong following among the younger generation. … I also have the stoner fanbase that like to see that you can smoke weed and be successful. I think it’s a diverse fanbase, honestly.”
“I don’t know what it is,” O’Malley said about his rise to the top of the bantamweight ranks. “I’ve wondered the same thing. … But maybe when I’m done fighting. They can rewatch my whole career, see it all unfold. Then they’ll say, ‘Wow he was as good as he told us he was.’ I’ve got a lot of work to put in before that, though.”
That work continues this weekend in “The Sunshine State.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 299 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 299: “O’Malley vs. Vera” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 299 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.