Alexander Volkanovski provided his prediction for Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera 2.
Later this week, O’Malley looks to defend his bantamweight title for the first time in the UFC 299 main event. ‘Sugar’ will be fighting for more than his 135-pound throne, as he looks to avenge his lone professional MMA loss against ‘Chito,’ who secured a first-round knockout win when they first fought in August 2020.
O’Malley and Vera have evolved drastically since 2020, making the rematch difficult to predict. When it comes to Alexander Volkanovski, the former UFC featherweight champion shared his analysis in a video posted on his YouTube channel:
“Interesting fight. On paper and what I’ve seen, who do I lean towards? I lean towards Sean O’Malley, pretty comfortable I’d say that. They’ve already fought, so you’ve got to give that respect where Chito has already beat him. Do I think he can do the same things to Sean? I think that’s going to be hard.”
Volkanovski explained why he thinks the rematch will lead to a different result:
“I know he’s already beat Sean, but I think Sean’s level is high level. I think it’s pretty underrated. I think people know it’s good, but I don’t think people understand how good it is. His shot selections, his variety in strikes, angles, distance management, his eye. All of that is top-notch. Very, very high level. He’s still young, he’s still in his prime. He’s probably still finding his prime. It just depends now that he’s champion, is he still putting the hard yards in?”
Alexander Volkanovski predicted TKO win for Sean O’Malley at UFC 299
Sean O’Malley has won nine fights under the UFC banner, with six ending by KO/TKO. It’ll be easier said than done for O’Malley to secure his seventh UFC finish, as Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera has never suffered a loss inside the distance during his thirty-two professional MMA fights.
During the previously mentioned YouTube video, former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski continued his O’Malley vs. Vera 2 breakdown:
“I’m gonna have to lean towards Sean O’Malley. I think his striking is going to be too much. I know Chito is going to want to keep it standing. I think Chito has to keep it standing. I think Sean O’Malley is even dangerous on the ground. I think he’s going to be hard to take down. I think Sean can even give him problems there. He can throw some nice submissions off his back, and he’s pretty creative there.”
Volkanovski concluded by predicting a TKO win for O’Malley:
“I think it’s going to be a standup fight, which is exciting. You know Chito is going to bring it. I just think the movement and that’s going to be too much. I think knowing how Sean O’Malley is going to look for the finish, he’s creative and he’s got a good eye. I think it’s going to be a finish for Sean O’Malley…It could be a submission, but I think it’s going to be a TKO because even if he hurts him and takes him to the ground, I can’t see him looking for a submission.”
Sean O’Malley is riding momentum after securing a second-round knockout win against Aljamain Sterling to become the UFC bantamweight king. Meanwhile, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera last fought in August 2023, defeating Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision on the same night of O’Malley vs. Sterling.
Watch Volkanovski’s UFC 299 prediction video below:
