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The main event of UFC 299 saw Sean O'Malley put on a dominant performance en route to a lopsided decision win over longtime rival Marlon Vera.
Vera, who has become somewhat of a fan favorite over years, was outgunned and outstruck for 25 minutes, with the judges scoring the bout 50-45, 50-45, and 50-44 in favor of 'Sugar'.
This meant that O'Malley had won all five rounds on all three scorecards, and speaks to the dominance the champ showed on fight night. Since then, Vera has taken to Instagram to reaffirm his commitment to the sport of MMA, and reflect on his career.
When translated from Spanish, his statement read:
"I dream about last night my whole life and fell short at the end of the day I will be Back thanks to my family and team for being by my side ♥️ the love of Ecuador was felt more than ever thanks for supporting me that way I will be back more strong. The belt will be mine one day. Thank you 🇪🇨"
Check out Marlon Vera's Instagram post here:
Many notable names in the MMA community took to the comments section to express their support for 'Chito'. Former UFC middlweight champion Luke Rockhold wrote:
"The last man standing.The road builds you different. Till the end brother"
Jon Jones, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, said:
"🙌"
Israel Adesanya also joined in and expressed his support for Vera.
Check out some of the reactions here:
Marlon Vera thanks Ecuadorian fans for "historic" support, re-affirms commitment to winning the title
In a follow-up tweet, 'Chito' expressed his gratitude for the support he received from his native ecountry of Ecuador and Ecuadorian fans across the world. When translated from Spanish, his tweet read:
"I'm not going to lie, I'm sorry for not having achieved the goal, but the support and love of the country was something historic. They don't know the motivation and desire I have to continue and climb again. Thank you, Ecuador, they made themselves felt and I will stop again."
Following the loss, 'Chito' will likely have a long and ardous road back to a title shot. Given the competition and just how stacked the bantamweight division looks at the moment, it may be a while before we see Vera competing for gold again.
