Sean O’Malley makes bold prediction for upcoming Marlon Vera rematch, ‘Chito’ responds

Sean O'Malley recently shared his prediction for his highly anticipated title rematch against Marlon Vera. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion is set to face 'Chito' in the headliner of the UFC 299 pay-per-view event on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

The two longtime rivals first faced each other at UFC 252 in August 2020, where the Ecuadorian handed 'Suga' his maiden career loss via first-round TKO. However, it's worth noting that Vera's early calf kicks caught O'Malley and hit a nerve that caused the Montana native to lose his mobility and balance.

Ahead of their long-awaited rematch, Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera have been firing verbal shots at each other on social media. In a recent X post, 'Suga' shared his prediction for the fight and wrote:

"I'll stop 'Chito' in the 3rd or 4th [round]."

Considering that Vera has never lost a fight via submission or knockout, it's unsurprising that 'Chito' didn't agree with O'Malley's prediction. The 31-year-old Ecuadorian fighter responded to 'Suga' on X and wrote:

"I will make Sean quit."

O'Malley is on a six-fight undefeated streak and last beat Aljamain Sterling via second-round knockout at UFC 292 to win the 135-pound strap. Meanwhile, Vera is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Pedro Munhoz and is 4-1 in his last five outings.

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Uriah Faber on Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera rematch at UFC 299

Former UFC contender Uriah Faber recently weighed in on the Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera bantamweight title rematch. While 'The California Kid' admitted that Vera was a tough opponent for O'Malley, he's backing 'Suga' to redeem his sole career loss.

As mentioned, the first meeting between O'Malley and Vera ended with 'Chito' beating the Montana native via first-round TKO. However, many believe the Ecuadorian got lucky in that fight due to O'Malley losing his mobility and balance thanks to his peroneal nerve getting struck.

In a recent interview with 'The Schmo', Uriah Faber stated that Vera's win over O'Malley was a "fluke" and that the UFC bantamweight king will handle business as usual this time around. He said:

"'Chito' is very tough, obviously has finishing power, and has been able to do it late in fights, even coming from behind quite often. But for O'Malley, I think the last fight was kind of a little bit flukish... Some weird stuff happened with the ankle. I think it's going to be a different fight this time. I think O'Malley gets it done."

Catch Uriah Faber's comments below (1:50):