Henry Cejudo forecasts that Sean O’Malley will lose to Marlon “Chito” Vera in their title bout at UFC 299. This prediction comes despite O’Malley’s recent victory in the bantamweight division at UFC 292, where he emerged champion with a striking Round 2 technical knockout against Aljamain Sterling. Following his win, O’Malley, also known as “Sugar”, expressed his intention to battle Vera in his first title defense in an effort to redeem himself from his lone professional mixed martial arts defeat.
O’Malley suffered this loss in 2020 at the hands of Vera. During the fight, Vera meticulously executed a leg-kick-heavy strategy resulting in damage to O’Malley’s peroneal nerve. This crippling blow facilitated Vera’s victory via a ground-and-pound technique in Round 1. Vera, an Ecuador native, is known for his perseverance and tactical approach in the ring.
Cejudo stands by his belief that the rematch will yield similar results. He expressed his thoughts on his YouTube channel, stating, “Chito Vera beats him just based on endurance. There’s another problematic thing that Sean is not accustomed to, is taller guys.” He explained that whilst Vera and O’Malley are not vastly different in height, when fighters of similar size face in the ring, it can lead to a psychological advantage for the one who won their previous faceoff. Cejudo believes if Vera sticks to his defensive gameplay and maintains focus on his leg attack, the result will be in his favor again.
Interestingly, despite O’Malley’s champion title, Cejudo remains skeptical about the Montana native’s ability. He suggested that O’Malley hasn’t faced “the who’s who” and the fiercest competitors in the division. He discounted the merit in O’Malley’s win against Aljamain Sterling and questioned his ability to withstand pressure from high-profile fighters. Cejudo concluded with the assertive prediction that if Vera were to repeat his previous winning strategy in his upcoming fight, he would secure victory once more.