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via Imago

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Winning the title is only the beginning of a very long journey, riddled with hungry opponents trying to take the belt away from you. Ever since Sean O’Malley became the UFC Bantamweight champion, the talk of the town has been who he will be defending his title against first. There are quite a few names that come to mind but one name rises above all else and that is Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.

UFC 292 was a game-changer for Sean O’Malley and the UFC as well. UFC president Dana White, who was egging O’Malley for a title fight, has a new champion. He also found a way to suppress and counter all ‘privilege’ claims but now, O’Malley has to prove himself by defending his title. ‘Sugar’ has already called out ‘Chito’ but it seems Vera has a message for him as well.

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera unbothered by Sean O’Malley’s threats to retract title shot offer

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When O’Malley won the title from Aljamain Sterling, the first thing he did was call out Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Sean O’Malley, who is 17-1-0 in the UFC, has only lost one fight in his UFC run and it came at the hands of Marlon Vera. So, it seems that O’Malley is looking to remove the only stain he has on his otherwise perfect UFC record.

When ‘Chito’ started acting like he had the power in the game, O’Malley tried to remind him that he had options and threatened to pick Henry Cejudo as his next opponent. In a recent interview on the Fight SZN podcast, one of the hosts asked Vera what he thought about O’Malley’s threats about replacing him.

Do whatever the f**k you want kid. I mean you can go fight Cejudo. I mean, when you’re that good and you feel the way I feel – I don’t give a f**k. He needs me. I don’t need him. I already beat him. He’s the champion now. So, he needs to – to get it back. In the other hand, I’m just cool as a cucumber. Working hard, getting better. If it happens, epic! If not, kid, go and s**k a d**k.“, retorted Vera, with a smile on his face. He surely made it seem like he wasn’t desperate for a fight against O’Malley.

Read More – Marlon Vera Sends Out a 7-Word Bold Message to Newly Crowned Bantamweight Champ Sean O’Malley, Following His Dominant Win Over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

Since O’Malley is the one who issued the challenge first, it does seem like the power rests with Vera. However, ultimately, it depends on who Dana White wants O’Malley to fight.

Sean O’Malley’s potential opponents – A new cross-sport beef for ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley?

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It really seems like O’Malley cannot catch a break. Ever since he became the Bantamweight champion, he has been dealing with title contests and contenders and now it seems there is another name that has been added to the list – and he is a professional boxer.

Now that UFC fighters are calling out boxers, O’Malley has said that he is interested in ‘knocking out’ the undefeated boxer Gervonta Davis. This compelled Ryan Garcia to get involved and said that O’Malley would only end up getting knocked out. Considering some of the latest boxing crossover matches, it won’t be surprising if one of O’Malley’s next fights turns out to be against either Garcia or even Davis.

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However, when it comes to defending his Bantamweight title, there are already the biggest names in the division lined up for him. Henry Cejudo, Cory Sandhagen, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, and Sterling’s best friend, Merab Dvalishvili. Now, it’s just a matter of who O’Malley and the UFC brass decide to pick.

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