Sean O’Malley, Marlon Vera Rematch Scheduled for UFC 299
Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera are set to rematch at UFC 299. This time around the UFC bantamweight title is on the line. UFC CEO Dana White announced the news on Twitter Monday.
UFC 299 will take place in March 2024. The specific date has not yet been announced. Similarly, a location has not been made public.
O’Malley and Vera initially fought in 2020. In that bout, Vera landed a kick to O’Malley’s knee that resulted in the fight being stopped. That loss in the only defeat in O’Malley’s 18-fight career.
Since losing to Vera, O’Malley has rattled off five consecutive wins. That win streak culminated in a second-round knockout against Aljamain Sterling that awarded him that bantamweight title and made him a superstar.
Vera has had a slower and bumpier road to the top. The 30-year-old joined the UFC in 2014 and matured in the octagon. That has resulted in a promotional record of 15-7. Still, he is one of the top bantamweights alive.
Vera earned his title shot after going 5-1 in his last six fights. Most recently, he beat Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292–the same night O’Malley won the title.
It is worth noting that Vera was given a title shot over Cory Sandhagen and Merab Dvalishvili. Sandhagen was Vera’s most recent defeat while Dvalishvili has clearly earned a title fight. Still, the UFC opted to resolve the rivalry between O’Malley and Vera.
The bantamweight title fight is the only fight that has been made officially for UFC 299.
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