UFC star Sean O’Malley has chosen Marlon “Chito” Vera for his first title defense at UFC 299, a decision that has been criticized as it overlooks more deserving contenders like Merab Dvalishvili, who is on a 10-fight win streak.
Sean O’Malley’s first title defense is against Marlon “Chito” Vera. This pick was O’Malley’s choice for UFC 299’s main event. Vera, to be honest, shouldn’t be in the title shot right now. He lost to Cory Sandhagen, then had a lackluster win over Pedro Munhoz.
But, Vera’s 2020 victory over O’Malley was the deciding factor. O’Malley, a fast-rising UFC star, wanted to avenge his only career loss. This decision sidelined more deserving contenders. One such contender is Merab Dvalishvili, who’s on a 10-fight win streak.
UFC welterweight Matt Brown has his theories. He believes O’Malley’s choice was strategic. The aim? To get a title defense under his belt before facing a fight he’s likely to lose.
Brown praised O’Malley’s team for their strategic planning. He mentioned this on The Fighter vs. The Writer. He felt it should’ve been Dvalishvili, but the UFC is milking O’Malley’s popularity.
“Merab is the next champion,” Brown stated. He’s confident about this. He sees Merab as a long-term champion. He doesn’t see anyone who can beat Merab.
Dvalishvili’s current run is impressive. He’s defeated several ranked opponents, including three former bantamweight champions. After his recent win over Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, Dana White, UFC CEO, declared Dvalishvili next for the title shot.
Brown says it doesn’t matter who wins at UFC 299. Whoever it is will fall to Dvalishvili. He’s certain Merab will win. He even thinks Merab could beat both of them in the same night.
Brown has been saying for a while now, especially after Merab’s win over Cejudo, that Merab might be one of the best of all time. He believes Merab has a good chance of being top five all time. He doesn’t see anyone beating him for a long time.
As for who will leave UFC 299 with the title, Brown is confident O’Malley will keep his belt for one more night. A freak injury ended the first fight between O’Malley and Vera, but Brown doesn’t think that’ll happen again. He believes O’Malley is the better fighter, but he still needs to be careful with Vera for all five rounds.
“Chito’s got an uphill battle,” Brown said. He doesn’t see how Vera can win, except that it’s a five-round fight. And Vera is a tough competitor. Brown’s betting 90-10 on O’Malley.
Vera has won in similar circumstances before. He was down on the scorecards but then delivered a powerful finish. He could do the same to O’Malley, but Brown doesn’t think so.
Brown acknowledges Vera’s power and his ability to find his shots. But he thinks O’Malley can’t mess up for five rounds. He believes O’Malley is the better fighter, as he showed in the first fight.
O’Malley’s purple hair and weird streaming habits rub some people the wrong way. But Brown thinks people find ways to justify a win for Vera because he’s likable. But if O’Malley’s ankle holds up, he’ll probably win.
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