Umar Nurmagomedov Rubs Salt on Marlon Vera’s Wounds as Sean O’Malley Shuts Down ‘Chito’ at UFC 299

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera lost against  “Suga” Sean O’Malley via a decision. The two shared history as they had faced each other in the past. In the first bout, Vera was victorious in stopping the bantamweight champion. However, destiny had it for them to meet again. In the rematch, O’Malley secured the win and also defended his title. Now, amongst several other people, a bantamweight prospect, Umar Nurmagomedov weighed in on this match-up. What does he have to say? Let’s find out.

Umar Nurmagomedov critques Marlon Vera

Nurmagomedov may potentially fight for the title soon. Needless to say, he was watching the main event with attention and had some opinions of his own to share. He was very critical of Marlon Vera and claimed that he was not a versatile fighter and could not fight if put on the back foot by someone else.

Nurmagomedov found weaknesses in Vera and shows that the prospect is confident in his abilities to compete in the division. However, this defeat is quite a setback for Vera given the fact he is no longer one up on the champion and also a lost a title fight opportunity. This leads to the question, what lies ahead of Vera and the other main eventers at this stage?

What is ahead of the UFC 299 main event fighters?

O’Malley has an opportunity to continue to reign against Merab Dvalishvili. It appears that this match-up will be next as the champion himself asserted in a post-fight interview. When asked about meeting Dvalishvili and a fight against him, O’Malley said, “I didn’t, he got hit in the head. I was like who the f*ck and then I realized it was Merab. Then, I realized that a fight could very well happen next. Yea, that fight could very well happen next.”

Read more: Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera Ethnicity: Where Is the UFC Bantamweight Star From?

In so far as Vera is concerned, he will probably have to get back to the drawing board and work his way up. What lies ahead of him? Only time can tell. However, it would be safe to say that another title fight opportunity could take some time to work up to and is subject to his future performance.

However, in an ideal world, what would you like to be the next step for both fighters? Share with us your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.