Sean O’Malley projects a “massive fight for the UFC bantamweight belt” against Chito Vera | Other Sports | Sports

The countdown began for the official match between Marlon Chito Vera and Cory Sandhagen, the five-round main event of the UFC Vegas 69 card, scheduled for February 18 in Las Vegas (Nevada). 2023 had not yet begun and Sean O’Malley was already slipping his expectations for this fight and expressed his desire to face the Ecuadorian again in a title event.

A win over Sandhagen means seeing Chito Vera on the cusp of a bantamweight title shot, so Sugar O’Malley says he plans to attend the showdown at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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“I’m excited. I’m going to go,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel four days before the close of 2022.

“I’ll sit in the front row and watch these two warriors compete… It’s a sweet fight. He’s on APEX, but I’m not fighting so I don’t give a damn.”

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O’Malley and Vera have a tumultuous history together, as Chone’s (Manabí) handed Sugar his first loss as a professional in mixed martial arts (MMA, in English) and ended his undefeated on August 16, 2022 in the function UFC 252. A fight that the one from Helena (Montana) has completely minimized, claiming that the result was caused by an injury, not by the power of Vera. Since then, both athletes have faced each other via social networks and fans are clamoring for a rematch.

But Sugar now he has nothing but respect for the Ecuadorian. He even defends him from criticism from former champion Henry Cejudo.

Though it has yet to be officially announced, rumors have it that reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will defend his belt against Cejudo earlier this year, with O’Malley awaiting any announcements as it would theoretically be up to him to be named. interim title challenger for his position on the roster.

“What is going to happen? I don’t want to think too much about it. Cejudo (he said): ‘Marlon Vera is just another guy, he’s not good enough to beat Cory Sandhagen.’ You know what, that’s not true. I used to call Chito a random guy, but that was before he beat all those good guys (Rob Font and Dominick Cruz). I did not think that Chito It was going to be as good as it was, but it’s done well. He has become very good, and I have nothing but respect for him. I hope he beats Cory, and if Aljo (Aljamain Sterling) beat Henry, Aljo goes up to 145, and I fight Chito. July, massive fight, for the belt ”he pointed.

And he added: “Or, Aljo beats Henry, he comes back, I put Aljo to sleep like he did (Marlon Moraes), and then I beat up Henry. Chito. Either way, I don’t care, as long as Chito do the job. I like Cory, but me against Chito it’s a massive fight. Me against Cory either is a good size fight. The biggest fight in the division is me against anyone but me against Chitopeople have been waiting for it and it is getting closer.”

‘The UFC APEX cage favors Chito‘

Sandhagen, currently ranked number five and a former interim 135-pound title challenger, is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division and presents substantial challenges for Vera, but Sean O’Malley believes the circumstances of the fight (five rounds in the UFC APEX) finally favor the Ecuadorian.

“I think Cory is going to bounce, be quick, people look good against Chito at first,” O’Malley said on the BroMalley podcast. “I feel like everyone wins those early rounds. Frankie Edgar won 14 minutes into the fight and then got kicked in the head with that damn toe (at New York’s Madison Square Garden, in November 2021). So I do not know. I’d say five rounds, small cage benefits Chito. If it was a big cage, three rounds, I’d probably take Cory. I dont know. I’m excited for that fight. It’s going to be a sweet fight,” he said. Sugar.

The UFC’s 2023 schedule formally kicks off on Saturday, January 14 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas with the UFC Vegas 67 undercard headlined by Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov and American Kelvin Gastelum.

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