-
Brett Okamoto
Close
Brett Okamoto
ESPN staff writer
- MMA columnist for ESPN.com
- Analyst on MMA Live
- MMA coverage for the Las Vegas Sun
-
Mark Raimondi
Sean O'Malley's first title defense was against a familiar foe, but this time, there would be no debate or a shocking ending. O'Malley defeated Marlon “Chito” Vera to retain the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 299. The judges' scorecards read 50-45, 50-45 and 50-44.
O'Malley dominated the first three rounds, fully displaying Vera's ability to land strikes. O'Malley landed a perfect knee to Vera's chin and several other punches that bloodied Vera's face. Vera tried to overcome the speed difference, but had difficulties getting any effective attack against the champion.
The fourth round was a tough one for Vera as he bloodied O'Malley's nose. However, O'Malley was landing at will, and Vera continued to do his best to resist the powerful blows. The fifth was full of hectic moments, but once again O'Malley got the best of Vera.
After the fight, O'Malley said he would like to fight Ilya Topuria, the UFC featherweight champion.
Before the main event, Dustin Poirier retained his spot in the lightweight division by knocking out rookie Benoit St. Denis in the second round, and Michael “Venom” Page made a successful UFC debut with a decision win over Kevin Holland, knocking out Jack Della Maddalena. Gilbert Burns and Petr Yan stepped up in the final two rounds to deprive Song Yadong of the top rankings.
Here's how all of the UFC 299 action in Miami will play out:
