Henry Cejudo is not sold on Sean O'Malley as UFC bantamweight champion.
O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become 135-pound champion at UFC 292, whereas Cejudo is coming off a close title loss to Sterling at UFC 288.
O’Malley will make his first title defense against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9, and Cejudo is still adamant that “Chito” beats O’Malley again – despite being a sizable underdog.
“I still don’t see Sean O’Malley as the best in the world,” Cejudo said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “I don’t. I do believe ‘Chito’ Vera is going to beat him. You have good defense, you walk that dude down, you kick his freaking legs – he still has that wide leg – you kick his legs, you just bring the fight to him and grit.
“This is what Sean O’Malley will do: He’ll look at the clock because he throws a lot of power. He is precise, but he throws a lot of it. I would bet the house on ‘Chito.’ Once I beat Merab (Dvalishvili), I’m going to get ‘Chito’ next, and I like that fight, too. I like either fight, really. Walk him down, good defense, and you’ll beat Sean O’Malley.”
Former dual-champion Cejudo (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is currently angling for a matchup with top contender Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. He acknowledges Dvalishvili’s relentless grappling, but looks forward to the challenge.
“I love the style. He comes into wrestling,” Cejudo said. “I did get taken down by Aljamain, which I don’t like, and now bringing the guy that probably has better cage work than Aljo – but I like it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.
