Sean O’Malley is ready for his first title defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. This weekend, the two bantamweights will square off each other in their second showdown in a big title fight. The stakes for the match are high as the two men share a history with their first UFC encounter back in 2020. Although fans are sure about Malley’s win, it shouldn’t be ignored that Marlon Vera is the only guy who can defeat Malley in the first place. Ahead of the huge clash at UFC 299, former bantamweight champion Aljamin Sterling has picked his views on the main event fight on Saturday.
Aljamain Sterling makes his pick for UFC 299 main event fight
Recently, Aljamain Sterling streamed live on his YouTube channel, where he discussed the upcoming title fight at UFC 299. The former champion revealed his interesting pick for Saturday’s main event, picking ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley as the potential winner. He also revealed about Marlon Vera’s poor training camp as of his knowledge, which is why he chose his former opponent as the winner.
Aljamain Sterling said on his YT channel that he heard Marlon Vera did NOT have a good camp for his rematch with Sean O’Malley this weekend. Aljo ( @funkmasterMMA ) picks O’Malley by Split decision #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/EcycbRQs8Y
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) March 3, 2024
As per Sterling, Chito Vera didn’t have a good training camp, which might put his title fight in jeopardy. Although he is not sure about the rumors, he still opted for Malley with a split decision victory.
There is no doubt Sterling picked the champion to win. Aljamain Sterling already had the taste of Malley’s fighting style, with a big loss losing his title last year via KO. Moreover, Malley has constantly shown his octagon presence with a powerful and dynamic fighting style to put his opponents to sleep. At UFC 299, the 29-year-old aims for his first successful title defense with a revenge victory. However, Vera still ranks himself as the No.1 contender because of his record with bantamweight champions.
Merab Dvalishvili reveals his plan to defeat Sean O’Malley
Another bantamweight prospect Merab Dvalishvili has big expectations from the UFC 299 headliner Sean O’Malley. Dvalishvili is one of the finest fighters in the division, with big victories. He aims to get his title shot to face the winner of Malley vs Vera at UFC 299.
In a recent interview on Mightycast, Dvalishvili revealed his plan to fight Sean O’Malley to win. He considers Malley as a dangerous opponent, but a right strategy can break through the hurdle.
“But how I see [the fight playing out], I think I should stay smart, just patient, keep striking and just wait for my time to shoot. If he defends, I let him go. Then I’m going to shoot again, make him slow, make him tired, and eventually I will take him down.” [H/T MMA Fighting]
There is no denying UFC 299 main event is big for both fighters as the rest of the bantamweight division awaits the winner to get the next title shot. As per the reports, Merab Dvalishvili is the prime contender for getting his title shot.
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What are your views on the UFC 299 main event, Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera? Tell us in the comments.