Kamaru Usman has made his pick for Saturday’s massive main event in Miami, Florida.
Emanating from the Kaseya Center, UFC 299 is set to deliver one of the biggest fight cards in recent memory with a slew of can’t-miss matches, chief among them being the bantamweight headliner pitting reigning and defending titleholder ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. The bout will serve as a rematch between the two after Vera scored a first-round TKO against the colorful fan favorite nearly four years ago.
Sharing his prediction in a video on YouTube, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ suggested that both men have what it takes to leave The Magic City with their hand raised. But in the end, he believes it will be Sean O’Malley who rises to the occasion and scores his first successful title defense.
“This is an intriguing fight based on how the first fight went,” O’Malley said. “Very intriguing, but I think Sean O’Malley is just… He’s got that thing on him. Young kids call it… Riz? I don’t know what you call it, but Sean O’Malley believes that he’s that guy and that confidence can lead you to so many amazing places and I think right now, it’s leading him to those amazing places.
“I’m gonna go Sean O’Malley even though I love ‘Chito’ Vera. Both guys are great guys and I just want to see a fantastic contest and I know it’s going to be.”
Sean O’Malley Has Not Lost a Fight Since His First Meeting with ‘Chito’ Vera
Sean O’Malley enters the bout with a 17-1 record, though if you ask him, that loss against ‘Chito’ Vera never happened. After racking up four straight wins, including a decision victory over former champion Petr Yan, ‘Sugar’ earned the opportunity to challenge then-bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. O’Malley capitalized, scoring a highlight-reel-worthy knockout in the opening minute of round two to claim his first piece of UFC gold.
Meanwhile, Marlon Vera has been slowly working his way up the ranks, winning five of his last six bouts with notable victories coming against Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar, Rob Font, and Dominick Cruz. His most recent win came in August when he bested Pedro Munhoz to secure his first shot at the bantamweight belt.
