#2. Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera
Sean O’Malley is confident that he will cross paths with Marlon Vera again. Vera remains the only fighter to have a win over O’Malley, albeit the legitimacy of his victory is debatable.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, O’Malley was asked about potentially running it back with ‘Chito’ in the future, to which he replied:
“It’s satisfying knowing that he [Marlon Vera] knows that [the first fight’s result was illegitimate]. Will we have a rematch someday? I say ‘yes’. I think a hundred per cent we’re going to have a rematch someday. I just feel like he needs to earn it.”
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Watch Sean O’Malley give his take on a potential rematch with Marlon Vera below:
Sean O’Malley took on Marlon Vera in the co-main event of UFC 252 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As discussed earlier, Vera landed a leg kick in the first round that hit the peroneal nerve in O’Malley’s calf that caused the ‘drop-foot’ phenomenon - something we’ve seen only a handful of times in the octagon. Vera subsequently finished O’Malley after the latter effectively became a one-legged fighter.
While Vera’s strike clearly caused the injury and he deserves all the credit, the question regarding which fighter is more skilled is still up for debate. O’Malley was significantly faster than Vera in the striking exchanges before the injury, and there’s only one way to find out which of the two is better at their craft.
Moreover, because of the contentious nature of the result of their first bout, there is real animosity between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Vera had this to say:
“The guy is a cry baby. He’s a little b*tch, you know? [If] you’re a b*tch once, you’re a b*tch forever, you know? So I don’t care about the guy. He can talk whatever he wants.”
“Let’s be real. There is not big money in the rematch because first thing, he’s not Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are money [fights]. Sean O’Malley is just like a lower version of Conor McGregor, [he’s] like the China version of him. Made in China. He’s fake.”
Watch Marlon Vera’s full interview with TMZ Sports below:
#1. Sean O'Malley vs. Cody Garbrandt
The rivalry and war of words between Sean O’Malley and Cody Garbrandt has been brewing for quite some time now. Interestingly, their respective careers have gone in completely opposite directions since the feud started.
Sean O’Malley is on the cusp of becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport. After finally breaking into the rankings following his win over Raulian Paiva at UFC 269, O’Malley is set to have a huge couple of years ahead of him. At just 27, he is yet to hit his prime and has barely taken any damage.
Cody Garbrandt, on the other hand, has gone from being the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion in 2016 to an unranked fighter in 2021. His most recent attempt at salvaging his career backfired severely as his move down to the flyweight division ended in a first round KO at the hands of Kai Kara-France.
Garbrandt has attacked O’Malley’s approach to his career, while the latter has always stated that he doesn’t have anything personal against the former champion. He just believes that, stylistically, it would be an entertaining matchup for the fans.
During an interview with Michael Bisping, O’Malley stated that he held no personal animosity towards Garbrandt. He said:
"It's not personal... I've never actually had a conversation with him, but for me, it's not personal. I think it's a fight the fans would love to see and it's someone who gets emotional. I've brought up his name a bunch… It could be a mega-fight someday but I definitely want to keep that beef there a little bit, you know. It's a big fight. It's a massive fight."
Cody Garbrandt is in dire need of something significant to fight for. His rivalry with Sean O’Malley remains the only big fight available to him.
From O’Malley’s perspective, a win over a former champion who is also a high-profile name could shoot him into superstardom. Additionally, O’Malley is in no rush to climb the bantamweight rankings and will have no problem taking on Garbrandt in a grudge match.
As for the stylistic matchup? Someone’s getting knocked out, guaranteed.