After having his first belt defense scheduled, Sean O’Malley stated that he will be the biggest name in the sport next year; opponent is the only one who beat the champion
Surprise for many when he won the UFC bantamweight belt, Sean O’Malley stated earlier this week that he will dominate MMA next year. To do so, he will have to defend his belt, and he already has the first one scheduled for March 2024, against the Ecuadorian Marlon Veraand believes that this fight will make him stand out in the organization.
“I will be the biggest name in the sport. I’ll go there and knock out “Chito” (Marlon Vera), I’ll have one more fight at the end of the year, I’ll be 2-0 in 2024. I believe I’ll be the biggest name in the sport, especially doing it in a spectacular way, not boring like “Chito” x Pedro (Munhoz)“, said O’Malley for the podcast “The MMA Hour”.
🇺🇸 Sean O’Malley declares that he will retire as one of the greatest in MMA history, and 🇷🇺 Umar Nurmagomedov objects. “Save that statement. If you fight me, I will stop you in three rounds. You are average. Nothing about you is great,” Umar said on social media. pic.twitter.com/q8ptWLo7PK
— MMA Melotto (@MMAmelotto) November 8, 2023
Despite having a positive record in the UFC, with nine wins, one “No Contest” (no result) and one defeat, the setback was exactly for Marlon Vera, in August 2020. Knocked out by the Ecuadorian at the time, Sean shows confidence for the rematch and believes he is better than his opponent.
“I don’t think it’s anything personal because I feel like if this fight never happened, it wouldn’t bother me. I never lost sleep over this fight. I mean, it’s not personal. (It) Could get personal. We will see what is said, what happens. But it’s business – exciting business“, stated the champion.
It’s worth remembering that Sean O’Malley won his belt in August this year, after beating the Jamaican Aljamain Sterling in a stunning knockout. This was his opponent’s fourth title defense, and he ended up being defeated and without an immediate rematch against the winner of the fight.
Source: sportbuzz
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
