Why the UFC should immediately book Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2

Sean O'Malley has just enthroned himself as the best 135-pounder on the UFC roster, having done so by capturing the division's crown jewel: the undisputed bantamweight title. More than that, however, he defeated Aljamain Sterling, the arguable GOAT of his weight class to do so.

With both Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili, and Cory Sandhagen waiting on the wings, the question on everyone's mind was who he would face in his first title defense. It turns out that 'Sugar' already had his answer. In fact, he'd spoken about it even before he had beaten Sterling.

Sean O'Malley has set his sights firmly on avenging his lone loss as a professional MMA fighter by taking on Marlon 'Chito' Vera. While the UFC certainly has options regarding O'Malley's first title defense, they'd be wise to immediately book 'Chito' as the bantamweight star's first challenger. Here's why.

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There is far greater fan interest in Sean O'Malley facing Marlon Vera

The fact of the matter is that the UFC is not a pure meritocracy, nor has it ever been. The promotion has shown, time and again, that it will prioritize the entertainment value of its events and fights if the dollar signs are large enough. When it comes to Sean O'Malley's first title defense, the formula is clear.

'Sugar' spent most of his career dazzling fans and analysts alike as an undefeated striker with a nuclear right hand. The intrigue created by an unbeaten record could not be understated, as it drew fans in and made them wonder about how good he was and what it would take to beat him.

That answer came in the form of Marlon Vera, who battered his foe's thin legs with low kicks en route to afflicting him with foot drop. With his ankle rolling, O'Malley's trademark footwork, which serves as the foundation for everything he does, from his anti-wrestling to his counterpunching, became impossible to use.

He collapsed to the mat and was brutally TKO'd by elbows from the top. It remains his only loss, and he has adamantly denied its validity, which has led to a division in the MMA community. Sean O'Malley's fans agree with him characterizing the loss as a fluke.

Meanwhile, his detractors scoffed at his apparent inability to accept a loss. Both camps will surely tune in to watch the newly crowned bantamweight champion to see their sides proven right. Furthermore, fans are now curious about Vera's level as a fighter, given his win over O'Malley.

Petr Yan, a former bantamweight champion himself, couldn't beat 'Sugar.' Neither could Aljamain Sterling, the division's arguable GOAT. The question about whether 'Chito' is truly that good or simply has Sean O'Malley's number creates a measure of intrigue that isn't present in any other potential fight.

Furthermore, the simple story of vengeance on O'Malley's part is easy to sell. He and Vera have a feud and seem to dislike each other. O'Malley dyed his hair the colors of the Ecuadorian flag ahead of their first bout, and he is likely to pull a similar stunt heading into their possible rematch.

The trash-talk will draw upon actual events instead of hypotheticals, as Vera actually beat O'Malley, and the hype for a rematch with a built-in rivalry is too great to pass up.

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It's a safe route to establishing Sean O'Malley as a defending champion and there's little interest in other contenders

Marlon Vera is a beatable opponent who won't prey upon Sean O'Malley's perceived weakness as a grappler and wrestler. If the pair lock horns, they will have a striking battle that 'Sugar' is more than primed to win. The other potential title challengers, however, don't generate nearly as much fan interest.

First, there's Aljamain Sterling, who fans were either apathetic to or hated. Unfortunately, the heat Sterling generated wasn't the kind that caused fans to tune in for the chance of watching him lose, it was the kind of heat that caused fans to watch something else, a chief reason being his fighting style.

Furthermore, selling the public on the idea of a rematch after he was TKO'd in a bout where he barely did much at all will be difficult. Olympic gold medalist and former champion Henry Cejudo also threw his name into the hat. Unfortunately, he is coming off a loss to the man O'Malley just beat, so his case for a title shot is weak.

The other options are Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen. The Georgian phenom recently defeated former champion Petr Yan, but his constant refusal to fight Sterling during the latter's title reign almost certainly soured Dana White's opinion of him, and he is unlikely to be given a title shot because of it.

While Cory Sandhagen can be an exciting fighter, his recent win over Rob Font, despite injuring himself during the bout, was one that Dana White found so uneventful that he walked out of the arena prior to the fight's conclusion. There is no other compelling challenge for O'Malley.

And with both Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera having won their fights at UFC 292, the promotion should strike while the iron is still hot.