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SEAN O’MALLEY VS MARLON VERA FACTS
When is UFC 299? Sunday 10th March, 2024 - 01:00 (UK)
Where is UFC 299? Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 299? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 299
What channel is UFC 299 on? TNT Sports 2
Where can I stream UFC 299? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
SEAN O’MALLEY VS MARLON VERA LOWDOWN
Sean O’Malley (17-1(1)) makes the first defence of his bantamweight crown. He has taken the UFC by storm and truly risen to the occasion in his last two fights. Instead of a rematch with Pedro Munhoz (2022) which ended prematurely after due to that accidental eye poke, he was pushed into the path of former champion Petr Yan (2022). It was a big step-up in competition and did enough to scrape a split decision. That led him to a title fight with Aljamain Sterling who provided his biggest test on paper. However, O’Malley did exactly what he said he would do and smoked him in the second round to extend his unbeaten streak to six.
That streak began after Marlon Vera (23-8-1) inflicted the first loss of his career back in 2020 at UFC 252. A crippling leg kick led to a ground-and-pound stoppage, and he has gone 6-2 since. Corey Sandhagen (2023) snapped a superb four-fight win streak with a split decision although one of the judges must have been watching something else that night. He is now coming off a classy unanimous decision win over Munhoz (2023) at UFC 292 to top his UFC tally up to 15-7.
SEAN O’MALLEY VS MARLON VERA PREDICTION
This title fight is only happening because Vera is responsible for that sole loss. O’Malley has been envisioning this rematch ever since and he wants to make a point. The knockout only occurred after Vera disabled the leg by hitting a nerve. His ground-and-pound was vicious, but O’Malley does not intend on being on his back this time.
We expect O’Malley to target the legs of Vera. We will also see his usual series of feints to lead Vera into traps where the champ will sting him with precision. He will have a game plan and the upmost confidence of carrying out to a tee.
We expect him to succeed, but he has to respect Vera. O’Malley has improved more since their first fight, but Vera is still durable, kicks like a mule and has knockout power in his hands. He is also aware that this is best opportunity for gold, so O’Malley has to expect the best version of him.
We expect a very slow start to the fight as they both try to gain a read on each other. The action will come when Vera gets inpatient and starts hunting the chin. We may be waiting a while for that to happen considering how much is on the line for Vera.
We expect O’Malley to earn a patient and cautious decision, but this will be a lot closer than the odds suggest.
Prediction: O’Malley via Decision
Value bet: Vera via Decision