Sean O’Malley voiced his interest in fighting Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera again later this year.
On August 19, O’Malley looks to continue growing his fanbase by dethroning Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight title. Meanwhile, ‘Chito’ is scheduled to fight Pedro Munhoz on the main card of UFC 292, which is headlined by ‘Sugar’ and Sterling.
As O’Malley prepares for his tenth UFC fight, only one fighter has been able to defeat him in the Octagon – ‘Chito.’ The rematch between the top-tier bantamweights has a sense of inevitability, and wins in their upcoming fights could lead to the highly-anticipated matchup by the end of 2023.
During a recent podcast posted on his YouTube channel, O’Malley discussed the possibility of Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler fighting in December. ‘Sugar’ followed up by revealing his interest in fighting ‘Chito’ for the UFC bantamweight title on the same fight card:
“I saw Chito did an interview, with I think it was The Schmo, saying if he beats Pedro [Munhoz] and I beat Aljo [Sterling], [we could fight at] MSG in November. I would say, whoa, whoa, whoa, December on Conor [McGregor] vs. [Michael] Chandler. Me vs. Chito rematch.”
Since their fight in the UFC 252 co-main event, O’Malley and Vera have found success in the bantamweight division. ‘Sugar’ has won four UFC bouts, including three inside the distance, with a no-contest against Munhoz being his only blemish.
Meanwhile, ‘Chito’ has won four of six fights since defeating O’Malley. The 30-year-old was riding a four-fight win streak before losing his last Octagon appearance against Cory Sandhagen on March 25.
Sean O’Malley provides update on UFC 292 training camp
Before worrying about his first title defense, Sean O’Malley must overcome a challenging task at UFC 292. The 28-year-old will face arguably his toughest opponent yet, as Aljamain Sterling continues to silence the doubter during his title reign.
During the same podcast episode, O’Malley provided a positive update about his UFC 292 training camp by saying:
“Can’t look past Aljo, obviously. Dude is a beast, best bantamweight currently in the world. We’re locked in, been locked in for a long time. This has been the longest camp. This is the first time I felt like I haven’t gotten burnt out in camp, which is weird.”
Sterling has etched his name into UFC history since becoming the bantamweight king with a disqualification win against Petr Yan. Since then, ‘Funk Master’ defeated Yan in a rematch, ran through TJ Dillashaw, and made a statement against Henry Cejudo.
Sterling has one more challenge waiting at UFC 292 before moving up to featherweight to avoid the drastic weight cut.
