Twitter reacts to Sean O'Malley outclassing Marlon Vera at UFC 299

Sean O'Malley defeated Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44), at UFC 299 on Saturday, March 9, 2024, live from Kaseya Center, in Miami, FL.

After the fight he reacted to the brutal knee that nearly stopped the fight in it's tracks.

"I felt like something in his face broke," he said of the knee. "I don't know if it was his nose, his cheek or if I was just feeling something. Chito is as tough as it gets."

When asked who he wants to fight next, he called out the new UFC featherweight champion.

"Dana give me a jet to Spain baby. Give me Ilia Topuria. And if he doesn't want it. Naw, fuck it, I want Illia," said the bantamweight champion.

Joe Rogan followed up, asking why a fight with Topuria interested him so much.

"He is a scary fucking dude. Illa excites me. Going up a weight class excites me. But honestly, I'm here for whatever. You guys want me to knock out Merab [Dvalishvili], I'll do that too. But Illa is an exciting fight for the people," said O'Malley

O'Malley put on a striking clinic throughout the fight. Fighting behind his jab, O'Malley was able to land more frequently and more powerfully than Vera. In addition to his striking prowess, O'Malley landed a massive flying knee. In the fifth round, O'Malley hurt Vera early in the round and spent the remainder of the round hunting him down and looking to put him out. Vera was able to survive and landed his best punch, a shot to the body, with one-second remaining.

Fighters shared their thoughts on social media

The biggest loser of the fight might not have been Vera but Dvalishvili. If O'Malley gets his wish and gets a fight for the featherweight championship, it would delay Dvalishvili from getting a title fight at bantamweight. Dvalishvilli waited patiently at the top of the rankings while his teammate Aljamain Sterling reigned as bantamweight champion.

With Sterling now fighting at featherweight and with his victory over former champion Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvilli was almost guaranteed the next title shot at bantamweight. However, O'Malley's desire to become a double champion could force Dvalishvilli to wait even longer. Topuria fighting O'Malley is arguably the biggest title fight the UFC can make at featherweight and would be an excellent debut fight for the UFC's first card in Spain.