Raul Rosas Jr. unpacks the 'good' and 'bad' behind Sean O'Malley's championship reign, previews upcoming matchup against Marlon Vera

Sean O'Malley was able to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292 with a second-round TKO against Aljamain Sterling. He will defend his belt for the first time against Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299. Bantamweight contender Raul Rosas Jr. recently revealed that he believes 'Sugar's reign as champion is good for the division.

Speaking to Danny Segura of MMA Junkie, 'El Nino Problema' stated in Spanish:

"I think it’s good for the division because it brings more attention to the division. I know that he’s someone that, if we ever fight in the future, it’s a fight that would be huge in the division. I don’t know if it will ever happen because I think he’s looking for – like I don’t know if he’s going to defend his title much because I saw he was trying to fight Gervonta Davis and stuff like that, so I don’t know if he’s going to want to do other things."

He continued:

"Also, the truth is that there are a lot of tough styles for him that are in title contention in my opinion: Merab being one of them. So let’s see what happens. … Him being champion, in a way it’s bad for the division, for the guys that truly deserve to fight for the title. But at the same time, it’s also good for the division because he brings a lot of attention." [h/t MMA Junkie]

Check out Raul Rosas Jr.'s comments on Sean O'Malley below (starting at the 8:55 mark):

O'Malley's growing stardom will certainly bring more eyes to the bantamweight division. There have been plenty of fans, however, that agree with Rosas Jr.'s sentiment that the most deserving bantamweights are not receiving a title opportunity.

---

Raul Rosas Jr. weighs in on Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon 'Chito' Vera

Sean O'Malley will face Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299 next March in his first bantamweight title defense. Raul Rosas Jr. recently weighed in on the bout while speaking with Danny Segura of MMA Junkie, stating in Spanish:

"I think that ‘Chito’ can beat him, but the truth is that the way I saw Sean O’Malley in his last fight, I think his is his best moment, so I think he’s more dangerous than when ‘Chito’ fought him the first time, however, I also feel ‘Chito’ broke him a bit, and having that is good. ‘Chito’ knows he broke him once, so entering a second fight, that’s going to help him." [h/t MMA Junkie]

Check out Raul Rosas Jr.'s comments on Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon 'Chito' Vera below (starting at the 11:40 mark):

'Chito' previously handed O'Malley the only loss of his mixed martial arts career at UFC 252 in 2020, defeating him via first-round TKO. Both fighters have grown in terms of skill and stardom since then, setting up a high-stakes rematch.