Sean O’Malley is already planning on calling out his next opponent after his main event fight at UFC 299 this March and so is his opponent, Marlon Vera.
O’Malley, who will defend his UFC bantamweight title for the first time at UFC 299, has long wanted a rematch with Vera. The two first met back at UFC 252 in Aug. 2020 in a big co-main event showdown. O’Malley ended up injuring his leg in the fight and Vera capitalized with a timely TKO victory, which “Sugar” will debate to this day.
In any case, their rematch has been years in the making. That’s why their upcoming title fight at UFC 299 has the juice to headline one of the biggest and most-stacked cards of the year. It will be a tremendous opportunity for both fighters, as O’Malley looks to solidify his superstar status and Vera tries to capture his first-ever UFC title.
O’Malley may not be overlooking Vera, but the UFC bantamweight champion is already planning on calling out Ilia Topuria after UFC 299 and moving up to 145 pounds. That is, of course, if Topuria is able to knock off UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. O’Malley essentially has his sights set on a second UFC belt in 2024.
That’s all well and good, but Vera is standing in his way and could very well prevent those dreams from coming true. Unlike O’Malley, Vera has plans of sticking around in the bantamweight division if victorious at UFC 299. In fact, he’s planning to call out former opponent Cory Sandhagen with a title win.
Remember, Vera recently lost to Sandhagen via split decision at UFC San Antonio back in Mar. 2023. It was a super close fight and one that “Chito” would love to have back.
Chito Vera plans on calling out Cory Sandhagen if he beats Sean O’Malley at #UFC299
“As a real man that I am, I will ask for [Cory] Sandhagen, because he beat me. If I have to choose myself, I wanna kick Cory’s ass. I know his dorky ass is crying about it but it’s not my fault… pic.twitter.com/nBXwbaW5c1
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 12, 2024
“As a real man that I am, I will ask for [Cory] Sandhagen, because he beat me,” said Vera during a recent interview with The Schmo (shown above). “If I have to choose myself, I wanna kick Cory’s ass. I know his dorky ass is crying about it but it’s not my fault no one gives a f—k about him”
What do you think? If victorious at UFC 299, does a Vera vs. Sandhagen rematch make sense?
Sound off!