"If you do it for the dollars, won't get too far" - Marlon Vera claims Aljamain Sterling "f***ed up" UFC championship reign by "chasing money"

Marlon Vera recently stated that he believes Aljamain Sterling destroyed his MMA career by chasing money. 'Chito' is convinced that the former bantamweight champion should've taken some time off rather than jumping into his fight against Sean O'Malley.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, the No.6-ranked bantamweight contender blasted the 34-year-old for being unsatisfied with his pay-per-view numbers:

"That's what happens when you rush. I mean, if you're not patient and if you don't take your time, and if you just do it for the dollars, you won't get too far... If you chase money like that [it] keeps going away from you... I mean, he f****d up, he should've wait[ed]."

Catch Marlon Vera's comments below (8:04):

He added that he believes Sterling should have pushed for the UFC to make an interim title fight rather than rushing into his bout against 'Sugar.'

Sterling's title run came to a halt at UFC 292 as he suffered a second-round TKO loss to O'Malley. Since then, he has moved up to featherweight and is scheduled to face Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.

'Chito' is set to take on the reigning bantamweight champion on March 9 at UFC 299 in Miami, Florida. While Vera is the only person to have defeated O'Malley in his MMA career, 'Sugar' believes his lone MMA loss was nothing but a fluke.

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Sean O'Malley believes Marlon Vera knows he got lucky

Not only does Sean O'Malley believe his defeat to Marlon Vera was a fluke, but he is also convinced that his opponent also knows that it was luck that guided him towards victory in their first meeting.

When Vera and 'Sugar' first met at UFC 252, the Ecuadorian came away with a first-round TKO win. However, per O'Malley, his mobility was compromised in the first round after a leg kick from his opponent struck his peroneal nerve. O'Malley added that if the kick didn't damage his nerve, Vera wouldn't have taken home the victory.

During a recent interview with Megan Olivi, the bantamweight superstar discredited his lone loss, saying:

"I was whooping his a**. He got lucky. That's how I felt ever since that fight happened, and I do believe, truly, he'll never admit it, but he knows how lucky he got that night."

Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below