Sean O’Malley defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title by enacting revenge on Marlon Vera in a hugely impressive display decision victory at UFC 299.
O'Malley, who beat Aljamain Sterling to claim the title back in August 2023, suffered the only loss of his pro career to Vera, going down in the first round of their 202 bout after suffering a foot injury that impaired his movement.
The rematch proved a different proposition as American O'Malley stayed out of trouble by putting on a striking masterclass, mixing up his shots to the head and body and landing a thunderous knee that opened a cut under Vera's eye late in the second round.
Behind on the scorecards, Vera bounced back in the fourth frame, but O'Malley's fluid movement kept him out of harm's way and he took over again in the fifth and final round to cruise to victory.
"Chito's as tough as it gets, it feels good getting that one back," O'Malley said in a post-fight interview in the cage before calling out featherweight champ Ilia Topuria.
Spain's Topuria claimed the belt with a second-round knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski in February, prompting O'Malley to call on the UFC to fly him there for a showdown.
"I'm here for whatever but that's an exciting fight for the people," he said.
In the co-main event, former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier scored a superb second-round knockout to defeat Benoit Saint Denis, flooring the Frenchman with a right hook midway through the second frame to end the fight.
Saint Denis, a former operative in the French special forces, set a frenetic pace throughout and looked dominant until American Poirier turned the tide with his boxing, landing the thunderous shots that paved the way to his KO win.
Britain’s Michael Page beat Kevin Holland on points in an entertaining UFC debut for the Londoner. The former Bellator star was competing in the promotion for the first time and won by unanimous decision.
"This is where I'm supposed to be," said Page.
"I've got a little more - well, a lot of work to do - but anyone who doubted I'm supposed to be here can see that for themselves."
