Sean O’Malley believe he will be able to showcase his skills against Marlon Vera.
On Aug. 15, O’Malley will return to the Octagon. He’ll meet Marlon Vera on the UFC 252 card. Headlining that event will be a trilogy bout between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.
Sean O’Malley Predicts Knockout Win Over Marlon Vera
Ahead of UFC 252, O’Malley told MMAJunkie that if he doesn’t score an early finish over Vera, he’s confident that the knockout will eventually come.
“Probably first-round knockout, but like I said, Chito’s tough, so I’m planning on being in there for 15 minutes,” O’Malley said. “I could see a second-round knockout or a third-round knockout. I do see myself putting his lights out. (It’s) kind of his choice how fast he wants to get knocked out and how much he pushes the fight.”
O’Malley said he realizes that this will be his toughest test to date. At the same time, this is the type of challenge he was asking for. Many fans have been clamoring for the “Sugar” show to take on tougher opposition and there is no denying that “Chito” fits the bill. Vera may not be ranked but many argue that’s because he has been robbed of decision victories in key bantamweight bouts.
In his last outing, O’Malley knocked Eddie Wineland out cold. The vicious knockout earned O’Malley a “Performance of the Night” bonus. The win also earned O’Malley a spot on the official UFC bantamweight rankings. The win also improved O’Malley’s pro MMA record to 12-0.
Vera is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Song Yadong. The defeat snapped “Chito’s” five-fight winning streak. If he can defeat O’Malley, it’ll be a huge boost for Vera and he’d surely be in the top 15 bantamweight rankings.
Do you think Sean O’Malley can stop Marlon Vera?
