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Marlon Vera is currently focused on his upcoming matchup against the No. 5-ranked UFC bantamweight Rob Font. That being said, Vera recently spoke to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole regarding another fellow bantamweight, his longtime rival Sean O’Malley.
Their meeting at UFC 252 witnessed Vera defeat O'Malley via first-round TKO in August 2020. The TKO victory was rather anticlimactic, however, as O’Malley sustained a lower leg injury which rendered him defenseless against ’Chito', and the referee had no option but to step in.
Since their first fight, ‘Suga’ has consistently maintained that he’s the better fighter of the duo and that Vera won only due to the mid-fight freak injury.
Both fighters are currently ranked in the top-15 of the UFC bantamweight division – with Vera currently holding the No.8 spot, while O’Malley finds himself at No.13. Iole notably alluded to the variables at play and asked Vera whether he’d like to face O’Malley in a rematch to prove that the outcome of their first fight wasn’t a fluke.
Vera responded by stating:
“You know, that’s up to him or the UFC, you know. They call us, they pay, I fight. You know, I don’t; I’m not over him. I was never worried about him or nothing. I was like, he’s just another fight, you know. I don’t have a space in my head for all the clout, all the – You know what I’m saying? I’m a fighter. And I already knocked him out. If you want it, then come and get some.”
Watch Marlon Vera’s conversation with Kevin Iole in the video below:
Marlon Vera on how his potential rematch against Sean O’Malley fell apart in 2021
Earlier this year, Marlon Vera spoke to TMZ Sports and suggested that Sean O’Malley had evaded a rematch against him. Vera claimed that the UFC had offered O’Malley the rematch for the July 2021 UFC 264 fight card headlined by Conor McGregor.
‘Chito’ alleged that O’Malley turned down the rematch. O’Malley eventually did compete at UFC 264, albeit against promotional newcomer Kris Moutinho, whom he beat via third-round TKO. Speaking to TMZ Sports, Vera said:
"The UFC already called me last July, 'Hey, you want to fight O'Malley on the McGregor card?' I said, 'Cool!' But my coach actually said this, 'Don't say nothing, have them [UFC] call him [O'Malley] first, and you will see what happens.' They never called back. So, it's not up to me."
Watch the full interview with Marlon Vera below:
Presently, Vera is set to face Rob Font at UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera on April 30. Meanwhile, O’Malley’s next opponent and exact comeback date are yet to be officially announced.
