Marlon Vera seemingly confirms Aljamain Sterling's 'WWE' theory in cryptic tweet hinting at next fight

Marlon Vera is the man that Sean O'Malley has in his sights for the first title defense of his bantamweight championship reign.

However, given that 'Chito' is currently the No.6-ranked contender, former champion Aljamain Sterling has blasted the idea of a clash between the two. 'Funk Master' feels that if he is not granted an immediate rematch following his defeat to 'Sugar' at UFC 293, then Merab Dvalishvili should be awarded the title shot due to him being ranked No.2 in the division.

Aljamain Sterling recently claimed that UFC matchmakers are trying to make MMA like the WWE, which drew a sharp reaction from Sean O'Malley.

Marlon Vera has now shared his thoughts on Sterling's comments, posting a rather cryptic tweet online. 'Chito' took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Woooohooo WWE baby"

See the post below:

Sean O'Malley's interest in a matchup with Marlon Vera is rooted in the fact that 'Chito' is the only man to have defeated him in MMA. The pair faced off at UFC 252 in 2020, where Vera finished O'Malley in round one of their clash.

'Chito' landed a calf kick that connected with O'Malley's peroneal nerve, causing him to lose feeling in his foot. The movement of 'Sugar' was compromised, causing him to fall to the canvas, where he was TKO'd with brutal ground-and-pound strikes.

Sean O'Malley has dismissed his loss to Marlon Vera on several occasions. But despite his nonchalant comments about the defeat, it's evident that 'Sugar' wants to settle the score.

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Sean O'Malley responds to Marlon Vera's claim that he is backing out of their clash

Marlon Vera and Sean O'Malley have both made it clear that they would be interested in facing off next for the bantamweight title. With Vera holding the only victory over 'Sugar' in MMA, the UFC certainly has a selling point for a potential pay-per-view clash.

'Chito' appeared at a Q&A with fans ahead of Noche UFC several weeks ago, during which he shared an update on a possible clash with Sean O'Malley.

Despite both men showing interest in the matchup, Vera claimed that 'Sugar' had begun backing out of a potential title fight.

O'Malley responded to Vera during a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, saying this:

"I ain't change my f***ing tone, I'mma slap you, bud. How 'bout that?"

O'Malley continued:

"I know exactly what the f**k is happening boys. But I can't say, and I am excited."

Watch the video below from 18:10: