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The rising star of UFC, Sean O Malley takes on the toughest opponent of his MMA career yet in Marlon vera. This is a massive fight for both O'Malley and Chito Vera.
Sean O'Malley vs Marlon Vera is the co-event of UFC 252. And this gives a big spotlight to these bantamweight contenders. Both O'Malley and Vera have been stacking up impressive wins in the division and a win on UFC 252 will increase their popularity to another level.
Going into the fight Sean O'Malley is a huge favorite over Marlon vera and rightfully so. Ever since Sean O'Malley has made his octagon return after he has looked phenomenal. The changes he has made in his physique and skillsets are highly impressive. And the results of his fights speak for itself.
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Sean O'Malley finished Jose Alberto Quinonez on his first fight after a long hiatus. Then he went on to fight the former WEC bantamweight champion, Eddie Wineland. Fans were speculating that Wineland would give a lot of trouble to Sean O Malley, taking him into the deep water. But Sean O Malley knocked out Eddie Wineland with ease.
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However, it will be foolish to overlook Marlon Vera in this fight. Before the fight against Song Yadong, Marlon Vera won his last five fights by finishes. Even the fight against Song Yadong was very close and fans would not have complained if the judges had scored the fight in favor of Marlon Vera.
Marlon Vera has the skillsets to beat Sean O Malley
Marlon Vera can be a trouble on the feet if the fight goes to the later rounds. He is a slow starter and tends to throw less volume early in the fight. However, once he is in the rhythm the volume increases. And that's what we saw in his fight against Song Yadong who is a phenomenal fighter.
Besides striking, Marlon Vera can be a problem for Sean O Malley on the ground too. Now Sean O Malley claims that he has a phenomenal ground game. But he has never been tested on the ground before by someone as good as Marlon Vera.
Stylistically, it's not a good matchup for Marlon Vera. Sean O Malley will have the reach advantage and he will look for the knockout against Marlon Vera who is a slow starter. But, Marlon Vera is very durable and there is a big possibility that this fight might go to the distance. And in the final rounds, Marlon Vera is likely to be the busier guy.
Marlon Vera needs to be cautious in the first round. Going into the fight, the spotlight has been on Sean O'Malley and that can mess with the opponent's head. Marlon Vera is great at defensive boxing, and he can be dynamic with his kicks and knees. He needs to put the pressure on Sean O'Malley early in the fight. Vera can offset the rhythm of Sean O'Malley with his leg kicks and he can hurt him if he gets into a clinch with Sean.
Sean O'Malley is the favorite for the right reasons. His fight IQ is off the charts. However, it will be foolish to overlook Marlon "Chito" Vera in this fight. Vera is one of the veteran in the bantamweight division. And a win over Sean O'Malley might just be the push Marlon Vera needs to put the top bantamweight on notice.
