Marlon “Chito” Vera has a controversial question for Sean O’Malley after their UFC 299 rematch this past weekend (March 9, 2024).
Four years after their initial encounter that saw Vera best O’Malley via a first round technical knockout, “Sugar” scored redemption against his Ecuadorian counterpart. The pair battled a full five rounds in their sequel, which saw O’Malley win all five rounds en route to a redemptive unanimous decision (watch highlights).
Performance-wise, it doesn’t get much better than that for a first title defense in the case of Bantamweight’s O’Malley. However, Vera has curiously raised a controversial question for his rival.
“Who braid your hair @SugaSeanMMA you where grease to the bone I wonder how much gel they use ?” Vera tweeted.
“Send pic of your face,” quote tweeted O’Malley in response.
The loss for Vera was his second in his past three fights. To earn his first career title shot, he won a unanimous decision over fellow perennial contender, Pedro Munhoz, at UFC 292 in August 2023 — the same night O’Malley won the title against Aljamain Sterling (watch highlights).
Although the series is now tied at one win-a-piece between O’Malley and Vera, a trilogy bout is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Challengers aplenty are lining up to take on the champion with the No. 1-ranked Merab Dvalishvili leading the charge. Outside of the 135-pound division, O’Malley still likes the idea of challenging for Featherweight gold against Ilia Topuria … or taking a cross-sport boxing match.
For complete UFC 299 results and play-by-play, click HERE.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
