Carrying a ton of confidence from being the first and only fighter to hand bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley a loss in his MMA career, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera was dealt a hard dose of reality during Saturday’s headliner in Miami, Florida.
From the opening bell, O’Malley was in complete control of their long-awaited rematch, using his speed and skill to bust up the Ecuadorian for a full 25 minutes. Vera undeniably proved his toughness, taking everything ‘Sugar’ had, and even folded the defending champ with a vicious body blow in the closing seconds of their UFC 299 headliner — a moral victory, but one that ultimately left him going home without the gold.