Sean O'Malley retains bantamweight belt with unanimous decision over Marlon Vera in UFC 299
Sean O’Malley emphatically defended his bantamweight belt, unanimously outpointing Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299 in Miami
By ALANIS THAMES
Published - Mar 10, 2024, 03:30 AM ET
Last Updated - Mar 10, 2024, 03:30 AM EDT
MIAMI (AP) — Sean O'Malley emphatically defended his bantamweight belt Saturday night, unanimously outpointing Marlon “Chito” Vera in UFC 299.
In a fight that he controlled from the opening round, O'Malley (18-1) outclassed Vera with his quickness, precision striking and footwork.
The champion threw 344 punches, landing more than 50% of them. He was the more active fighter throughout, hurting Vera (23-9-1) with shots to the body, knees to the face, and countering nearly every one of Vera's connections with one of his own.
It was O’Malley’s first defense of his bantamweight title after stopping former champion Aljamain Sterling 51 seconds into the second round at UFC 292 last August.
