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Longtime rivals 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera faced off in a highly-anticipated rematch which served as the headliner of the recently concluded UFC 299 event. Their five-round showdown witnessed reigning UFC bantamweight champion O'Malley defend his title by beating 'Chito' via unanimous decision.
O'Malley avenged the lone defeat of his professional MMA career, a first-round TKO loss against Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020. With his incredible performance in their rematch at UFC 299, 'Sugar' has not only leveled his series of fights (1-1) against Vera but also notched his first successful title defense as the UFC's 135-pound kingpin.
On that note, one of the most talked-about moments from the Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera rematch is a thunderous knee strike to the face that O'Malley landed. The strike, which appeared to briefly stun Vera, transpired in round two of the matchup.
To his credit, 'Chito' survived and went the five-round distance against 'Sugar.' That, in turn, has earned the Ecuadorian fighter widespread praise from the MMA community, particularly for his granite chin.
Watch the knee strike below:
In the aftermath of UFC 299, many in the MMA community have chimed in on Sean O'Malley's striking. Apart from eating a hard body shot toward the end of the fight, 'Sugar' largely out-struck and outworked Marlon Vera. Besides, the knee strike, something that the champion discussed after the bout, has been compared by many to a baseball bat strike to the dome.
Several fans lauded O'Malley for his striking, given that he landed around 186 total strikes against Vera, with a 141-plus significant strike differential. Others expressed their sympathy for 'Chito' who absorbed a worrisome amount of punishment.
Furthermore, netizens waxed lyrical about Vera's ability to avoid being knocked down and/or knocked out. One X user suggested that the chins of Vera and UFC great Max Holloway ought to be scientifically studied. Excerpts from a few fan tweets read as follows:
"Sugar Sean striking is on another level with the foot work. He's a sniper."
"The Iron Chin Ecuadorian Jesus"
"Chito got a chin of steel"
Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions below:
What's next for 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera?
During his post-fight octagon interview at UFC 299, Sean O'Malley suggested that he'd love to fight featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Alternatively, 'Sugar' indicated that he could face Georgian featherweight elite Merab Dvalishvili. The UFC is likely to accord Dvalishvili the title shot against O'Malley next.
On the other hand, it's unclear as to whom the UFC would book Marlon Vera to fight next. His fellow top-tier bantamweights such as Petr Yan could be roped in to face him. All things considered, while 'Chito' does own a victory over O'Malley, it's believed that his one-sided defeat at UFC 299 has probably cast him out of the title picture for the time being.
