Tag: Marlon Vera

Sean O’Malley goes off on ‘fake-ass b*tch’ Marlon Vera for UFC 299 greasing accusation

UFC champ Sean O’Malley went off on Marlon Vera for accusing him of greasing in their rematch.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] went off on [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] for accusing him of greasing at UFC 299.

Bantamweight champion O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) avenged his loss to Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) by battering him for five rounds in their title fight earlier this month in Miami. Vera said fighting O’Malley was “like grabbing a fish out of the water” during Monday’s episode of “The MMA Hour” and accused him of putting something in his hair.

O’Malley fired back by saying Vera’s claim is irrelevant. “Chito” attempted zero takedowns, so the fight played out predominantly standing.

“I don’t get the whole ‘Chito’ thing,” O’Malley said on his “TimboSugarShow” podcast. “Everyone seems to love this dude. The motherf*cker is a fake-ass b*tch. ‘Chito’ sucks. F*ck him. I know sh*t that people don’t know that would change their minds on him, but I’m not going to go out there and post it.

“The DM sh*t was real. I was in his f*cking head. I was his brain. I was thinking for him. F*ck that guy. Then he comes out saying I’m greasing my hair. You didn’t even get close enough to smell my hair, let alone – what was grease in my hair going to do?”

There’s no indication as to what O’Malley is referring to when it comes to Vera’s personal life, but he refrained from elbaorating. The pair mentioned that DMs were exchanged during fight week.

“I’m just like, ‘Be the bigger man. You don’t need to ruin his f*cking life. You already ruined his career,'” O’Malley added. “Just be the bigger man.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Marlon Vera’s coach reacts to UFC 299 loss to Sean O’Malley: ‘With no clock? Chito goes to jail for murder’

Did Marlon Vera simply run out of time in the UFC 299 headliner with Sean O’Malley?

Jason Parillo thinks [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] would’ve beaten UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] if there was no time limit.

Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) showed great durability but was battered for five rounds by O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) this past Saturday in the UFC 299 headliner.

Vera’s head coach, Parillo, praised his fighter and wants to see a trilogy bout next. “Chito” handed O’Malley the lone loss of his career when he finished him by TKO in August 2020.

“Couldn’t be prouder of my fighter @chitoveraufc! He competed for the UFC world title! Representing his country Ecuador and every hard working man that doesn’t give up! Chito 1-1 now with this kid! The kid got the decision and retained the title! Chito got the knock out in the first fight. With no clock? Chito goes to jail for murder! #godbless.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4e8QBtuKm2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

While Parillo’s claim is rather bold considering that Vera did not win a single round, O’Malley admitted that with seconds remaining in the fight, Vera landed a liver shot that buckled him. In a back-and-forth spat on Twitter, Vera made sure to remind O’Malley of that.

“I’m fine black eye small cut the usual. How’s the liver? U do remember that sound u make.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Chael Sonnen: Sean O’Malley’s win over Marlon Vera ‘the single best performance I’ve ever seen’

Chael Sonnen was in awe of Sean O’Malley’s performance against Marlon Vera at UFC 299.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] was in awe of UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s performance against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag].

O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) put a striking clinic on Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) for five rounds to retain his title in Saturday’s UFC 299 main event. Sonnen was especially impressed with O’Malley’s ability to control range and hit Vera from all angles.

“I was with Henry Cejudo last night, very good friends, so no bias here, the best ’35-pounder I’ve ever seen is Dominick Cruz – move over, Dominick,” Sonnen said on the ESPN UFC 299 post-fight show. “I mean, that was the single best performance I’ve ever seen. Controlling range to that ability … Merab (Dvalishvili) will be the favorite here. People are going to forget this real quick.

“However, I now have my own questions. You want to know why ‘Chito’ didn’t try to take him down? The same reason the other five guys never tried to take him down: They can’t get inside. He controls range. It is an unbelievable thing. He will hit you going that way (forward), he will hit you backing up, he will hit you going to the side. Nobody can do that.”

Although O’Malley was seen sporting a cast on his hand and foot after the fight, Sonnen praised him for having the cardio to outlast Vera in a five-round fight.

“I would also like to tip my hat a little bit to the endurance,” Sonnen said. “I questioned if Sean could hold up for 25 minutes.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean O’Malley’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 299 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 299 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000;

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Katlyn Cerminara[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,362,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,069,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 results: Sean O’Malley batters durable Marlon Vera to retain title, calls out Ilia Topuria

Sean O’Malley blasted Marlon Vera with a variety of attacks at UFC 299 to retain his title, then called out the featherweight champion.

MIAMI – And still.

Bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] avenged his only career loss Saturday when he defeated longtime rival [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in the UFC 299 main event at Kaseya Center. O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) battered Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) for five rounds to win a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44).

The environment was raucous with support for both fighters heard, though the chants of “Chito, Chito” were the loudest. O’Malley seemed unfazed, however, as he battered the lead leg of Vera and snuck punches through the Ecuadorian’s guard. With feints and light-on-his-feet footwork, O’Malley dictated the pace – a successful one for him in Round 1.

Round 2 was all O’Malley, who poured an onslaught of attack on Vera that began with a massive standing knee. The blow sent Vera backward, though he somehow did not fall down. O’Malley surged forward with a violent attack of punches as blood trickled down from under Vera’s right eye. O’Malley landed several more big, head-snapping punches before the round ended.

The third round was more O’Malley, though a late surge from Vera – his best consecutive offense of the fight to that point – fired up the Miami crowd. The fourth round was the most competitive, with both fighters having their moments. Regardless of how it was scored, Vera needed a finish in Round 5 – which he did not find.

Instead, O’Malley battered Vera with a brutal punch in the opening seconds. Vera, clearly hurt, made a direct B-line backward as O’Malley walked him down. Though Vera remained ultra-tough, his durability was certainly pushed as he absorbed a tremendous amount more damage before the final horn.

After the fight, O’Malley called out UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], though said he’s open to a fight against Merab Dvalishvili, as well.

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With the victory, O’Malley successfully defends the title in his first attempt. He has not lost in seven fights, dating back to his initial meeting with Vera in August 2020. O’Malley lost that fight by TKO after a leg injury and punches by Vera.

Vera comes up short in his first UFC title challenge. A member of the UFC’s roster since the promotion’s inaugural “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” season in 2014, Vera has served as a pioneer and trailblazer for Latin American MMA. A large Ecuadorian presence was seen and heard at Kaseya Center.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 299 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Sean O’Malley def. Marlon Vera at UFC 299: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Sean O’Malley’s unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Fight and venue photos by Sam Navarro, USA Today Sports; UFC; and Getty Images)

UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2 watch-along live stream with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 299 in Miami.

UFC 299 takes place Saturday headlined by a bantamweight title fight rematch, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), with the champ looking to avenge his only loss, which came against “Chito” by TKO in 2020. The co-headliner is a five-round lightweight showdown between veteran [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and rising contender [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on a big stage.

UFC 299 takes place at Kaseya Center in Miami. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Below is the lineup of fights included in the watch-along:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera – for bantamweight title
  • Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis – five rounds
  • Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Yadong Song vs. Petr Yan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes
  • Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Cerminara
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Mateusz Gamrot
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 299 odds between Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round bantamweight championship bout in the main event, Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera meet Saturday at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2 odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPNews/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, and is on pay-per-view.

Records: O’Malley (17-1-0) | Vera (23-8-1)

O’Malley dropped Aljamain Sterling via KO/TKO in Round 2 at UFC 291 to snatch the lightweight championship strap. This will be his 1st title defense. He is trying to hold onto the belt against Vera, the only fighter to beat him since joining the UFC. O’Malley lost via 1st-round KO/TKO at UFC 252 in just 4:40.

O’Malley has ended up going the distance just once in the past 9 fights, with 7 bouts ending via KO/TKO, with the 1 loss, he had a split-decision win over Petr Yan at UFC 280, and a no contest at UFC 276 against Pedro Munhoz.

Vera topped Munhoz at UFC 292 in a unanimous-decision win, bouncing back from a split-decision loss to Cory Sandhagen in the fight night main event in late March 2023. He had ended up going the distance in 5 of his past 7 fights.

O’Malley holds a 1.5-inch reach advantage over Vera, and he has a 7.25-to-4.37 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. “Suga” is quite accurate with those strikes, too, hitting at a 61.60% clip, while Vera lands 53.56% of his significant strikes. Vera has the 0.95-to-0.43 submission average advantage.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): O’Malley -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | Vera +220 (bet $100 to win $220)
  • Over/Under: 4.5 rounds (Over -160 | Under +120)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -135 | No +100)

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UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

O’Malley (-275) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return, and that’s too expensive. He should be able to get the job done in this rematch, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a trilogy.

While the Ecudoran fighter Vera (+220) could have quite an enthusiastic crowd in Miami, it’s unlikely he is able to catch O’Malley with a big punch and KO/TKO again. In fact, it’s more likely the champ returns the favor.

Take O’MALLEY VIA KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+225) at plus-money on the 5-way line.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 4.5 ROUNDS (+120) at plus-money is a solid play, and it is a little more of a value than NO: WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? (+100), although you do get 90 more seconds of wiggle room for a small price.

While Vera had ended up going the distance in 3 of his past 4 fights, and 5 of his previous 7 bouts, he had a finish against O’Malley in the 1st fight. And O’Malley hasn’t involved the judges in 8 of his past 9 outings.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC 299 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: ‘Your worst nightmare is about to come true’

In the final installment of UFC 299 “Embedded,” Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera exchange heated words in final faceoff before title fight.

The UFC is back for its third pay-per-view of 2024, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), with the champ looking to avenge his only loss, which came against “Chito” by TKO in 2020. The co-headliner is a five-round lightweight showdown between veteran [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and rising contender [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on a big stage.

Also featured on the main card is the debut former Bellator star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in a welterweight bout; [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in another welterweight showcase; and former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) looking to get back on track against rising Chinese star [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC).

The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champion Sean O’Malley and opponent Marlon “Chito” Vera wrap up their weight cuts. Michael “Venom” Page gets a visit from Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Athletes make weight on Friday. Curtis Blaydes has lunch with his team before ceremonial weigh-ins.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Marlon Vera dreams of bringing UFC to Ecuador but first must claim gold from Sean O’Malley

Marlon Vera hopes to win the UFC title this Saturday and get closer to bringing the UFC to Ecuador.

MIAMI – As seen by the media attention this week ahead of UFC 299, [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] has proven to be a superstar for Ecuador, and “Chito” is hoping to turn that interest into a future UFC event for his country.

Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), the greatest MMA fighter to come out of Ecuador, fights this Saturday for the UFC bantamweight title as he takes on champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in the headlining act of UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+). It’s a huge fight for his career as it’s the first time he competes for a UFC title, but Vera also sees it as a huge fight for his country since he believes the idea of having a UFC event in Ecuador is very dependent on his success.

“That’s one of my biggest dreams, but personally, like for example, look at Mexico,” Vera told reporters, including MMA Junkie, in Spanish at Wednesday’s UFC 299 media day. “Mexico has champions and former champions. Look at Alexa Grasso, Yair (Rodriguez) who was interim champion, Brandon (Moreno) who was champion, lost, but then won it again – they went last month and in 2019, so that shows you how difficult it is to get them to your country.

“In Mexico, they just built a Performance Institute, and they have a bigger infrastructure in the sport itself. Ecuador doesn’t have that yet. Some of those Ecuadorians that fought in Contender Series didn’t do too well. Today it’s probably easier for them to go to Spain, Argentina or other countries. It’s tough because I’d love to see the UFC go to Ecuador and fight in Ecuador, but from my experience, you look around and in terms of hotels, security, there’s a still a lot to go. I think that it’s something will happen eventually, and I have that responsibility this Saturday. Winning this fight will get us a bit closer to making it happen.”

O’Malley vs. Vera is a rematch that’s been almost four years in the making. The two fought back in August 2020 in the co-main event of UFC 252. That night, Vera stopped O’Malley in the first round and became, still to this day, the only man to defeat O’Malley.

Vera is hoping to beat O’Malley a second time and make history for his country by becoming the first Ecuador-born fighter to claim UFC gold.

“For me, please keep bringing in those good vibes. Keep showing me that support because that can only help,” Vera said. “As an Ecuadorian, I want to give that victory to the country and I want to take that belt to Ecuador. This motivates me and helps me wake up in the morning every day. I’m always grateful for the support of the people.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.