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UFC bantamweight king Sean O'Malley is all set to make his first title defense at UFC 299 against Marlon Vera. The bout will take place on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Ahead of the fight, 'Sugar' sat down with Helen Yee for a chat. During the conversation, the 29-year-old was asked whether he expects the fight against Vera to go the distance.
O'Malley branded it a possibility as the Ecuadorian is a durable athlete. The UFC champion then added that he feels confident about himself heading into the fight. O'Malley said that a possible finish against Vera, who has never been knocked out or submitted before, would make the victory 'extra special':
“There’s a possibility it does [go the distance]. He’s never been submitted, never been knocked out. He’s very, very durable. I just truly, truly believe that I’m on another level and going to bring a level of performance that the UFC has never even seen. I think I’m gonna hit a level that people will be shocked at, and I’m gonna put on a masterful, beautiful performance... We’ve seen ‘Aljo’ get knocked out, but we’ve just never seen ‘Chito’ get finished. That would be extra special.”
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments from the 1:58 mark below:
O'Malley and 'Chito' first locked horns at UFC 252 in August 2020. That night, Vera became the only fighter to defeat 'Sugar' as he scored a TKO victory in the first round of the fight.
UFC 299: Who else is competing on the star-studded card?
UFC 299 is stacked from top to bottom with thrilling matchups. In the co-main event, UFC star Dustin Poirier will face off against rising contender Benoit Saint Denis in a five-round lightweight showdown.
Michael Page will also make his UFC debut on the March 9 card. 'Venom' will go toe-to-toe against Kevin Holland in a 170-pound fight.
Below is a look at the main card of UFC 299, which will take place in Miami, Florida:
Main event: Sean O'Malley vs.Marlon Vera - bantamweight title
Co-main event: Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis - lightweight
Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page - welterweight
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena - welterweight
Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong - bantamweight
