Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera are set to face each other once again in a much-anticipated rematch. Dana White, the UFC CEO, made the announcement on a Monday, revealing that reigning bantamweight champion O’Malley would be going head-to-head with Vera in a rematch that will be the main event of UFC 299 in March. However, an exact date and venue for the event haven’t been confirmed yet.
The first bout between the two fighters took place at UFC 252 in August 2020. O’Malley, also known as “Sugar,” unfortunately suffered his only professional defeat to Vera during the fight. He was seemingly hindered by an ankle injury, which led to a loss against Vera via a first-round technical knockout. However, O’Malley didn’t let this setback affect his career and has made a strong comeback, remaining unbeaten in his next six promotional appearances.
Despite suffering an initial loss, “Sugar” was able to claim 135-pound gold at UFC 292 this past August, achieving a second-round TKO against Aljamain Sterling. On the other hand, Vera has also made waves in UFC, winning five out of his last six fights. His only loss during this time came as a split-decision defeat against Corey Sandhagen. In addition to his victory over O’Malley, Vera has scored notable wins over several other fighters not limited to Pedro Munhoz, Dominick Cruz, Rob Font, and Frankie Edgar.