Sean O’Malley doesn’t think Chito Vera is all that deserving of a title fight.
The #6 ranked UFC Bantamweight gets his golden opportunity after competing in the Octagon for the last decade. Vera, 31, takes on current champ O’Malley in the main event of UFC 299 on Mar. 9.
There’s no question that Vera has beaten some of the best fighters in the world such as Rob Font and former UFC Champs like Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar. However, Vera did hit a speed bump last March when Cory Sandhagen dominated him over five rounds to snap his four-fight win streak.
O’Malley: ‘He’s Lucky I’m In This Position’
It would take only one win over Pedro Munhoz for Vera to get back into title contention. O’Malley, whose only loss is to Vera, believes he knows why it happened that way— especially when there’s other top contenders like Sandhagen and Merab Dvalishvili right in front of his longtime rival.
“I didn’t really feel like I lost that fight,” O’Malley told Demetrious Johnson. “I didn’t feel like that was skill-for-skill, beat me because he’s better… I never felt like that. It’s crazy, full circle 3 and a half years later. We get to fight for the belt or he gets to try to get the belt.
“I’m defending the belt and he’s lucky I’m in this position. He wouldn’t be getting a title shot off this f*cking Pedro performance. I still haven’t watched it. I just assumed it was pathetic. So, I guess I can’t say that. But, yeah he wouldn’t be getting a title shot off that, I’m assuming. There’s too many guys, you know. It’s just because of the history, so you’re welcome.”
Suga’s Legacy
Whether Vera is deserving of a title shot or not, the plan doesn’t change for 29 year-old Sean O’Malley. The UFC Bantamweight Champion has high aspirations for what he wants to do in his career.
“I’m chasing greatness,” O’Malley continued. “I wanna be with the greatest of all time. I wanna defend this belt. I wanna go knock out Ilia [Topuria] if he wins [against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298]. I wanna beat the guys that they say I can’t beat and stay dialed. I’m 29 right now, so I got, what– 4, 5, 6 more years depending on injuries and how things go.”
