After defeating Chito Vera in a rematch at UFC 299, Sean O’Malley declared himself unbeaten as a professional MMA fighter, despite an official loss to Vera at UFC 252.
Sean O’Malley, the MMA fighter, didn’t accept his defeat to Chito Vera at UFC 252. Official results? Nah, he didn’t care.
Then, at UFC 299, he dominated Vera in a rematch. Now, he’s claiming himself unbeaten in his professional MMA career.
“The Sugar State Athletic Commission, they said if I win this fight, they’ll erase that first fight. So, I’m officially undefeated again,” O’Malley shared with reporters. This was during the UFC 299 post-fight press conference. It happened on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
He was feeling pretty good about it. “We’re just 1-0 right now,” he said.
The Sugar State Athletic Commission? It’s just a playful joke from O’Malley. A figment of his creative mind, just like his official record with Vera. The bantamweight pair are now 1-1. Vera had a first-round TKO over O’Malley four years ago. It was a big, public setback for him.
This time, O’Malley’s foot and ankle injury didn’t interfere. He was practically running circles around Vera. Vera talked a big game before the fight, but he couldn’t match O’Malley’s speed and movement. Only a last-second body shot showed a chink in O’Malley’s armor.
With his first bantamweight title defense done, O’Malley’s got his sights on featherweight champ Ilia Topuria. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll reluctantly fight No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili. He brushed Dvalishvili off backstage after UFC 299.
O’Malley seems ready to pen his own history for a potential fight with Dvalishvili. No time for another round with Vera. A third bout? “Probably not,” he said.
“I think I got a 50-44, so probably not,” he added.
O’Malley was disappointed with his lack of a finish in the five-round fight, despite his shutout on scorecards. He said his seat at the final bell was as much about frustration as it was about a nasty body shot from Vera. But, by any measure, he was the clear winner.
“I knew I was better than this guy for three-and-a-half years,” he said. “The first fight was a fluke, so it felt good. I wanted that finish so bad. He hit me with a nice body shot, and I was like, I already whooped his ass. I’m going to sit down and chillax a little bit.”
Even if he didn’t believe in the first result, proving to the world he’s the better fighter felt good.
“I always knew I was better than him. That fight never bothered me. I beat Thomas Almeida in one of the most beautiful performances I ever had. It took me three-and-a-half years to prove that, and I did.”
Vera, who bashed the champ at every chance before the fight, is just another hater to be ignored.
“I think he told [my coach] Tim [Welch], ‘We’ll never be friends,’ but it is what it is,” O’Malley said. “I’d be jealous and hate me, too.”