Sean O’Malley never conceded a loss to Chito Vera at UFC 252, official results be damned.
But after dominating Vera in their rematch at UFC 299, O’Malley is declaring himself unbeaten as a professional MMA fighter.
“The Sugar State Athletic Commission, they said if I win this fight, they’ll take away that first fight away, so I’m officially undefeated again,” O’Malley told reporters at the post-fight press conference for UFC 299, which took place Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.
“It feels really really good, so we’re just 1-0 right now.”
The Sugar State Athletic Commission is, of course, a cheeky joke, a figment of O’Malley’s imaginative imagination, as is the official tally of his time with Vera. The pair of bantamweights are now 1-1, with Vera earning a first-round TKO over O’Malley four years ago in what was a first – and highly visible – setback.
This time around, the foot and ankle injury that sapped O’Malley against Vera was not at all a factor, allowing him to essentially run circles around his opponent. Vera talked a big game heading into the fight, but he was overmatched in the speed and movement department. Only a last-second body shot appeared to reveal O’Malley’s vulnerability.
With his first bantamweight title defense behind him, O’Malley wants to face featherweight champ Ilia Topuria. Barring that, he’ll begrudgingly take a fight with No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili, whom he no-sold backstage after UFC 299.
O’Malley appears ready to write his own history book for a potential fight with Dvalishvili. That leaves no time for another go-around with Vera. Asked whether he might entertain a third bout, the champ said “probably not.”
“I think I got a 50-44, so probably not,” O’Malley added.
O’Malley rued his lack of finishing ability in the five-round fight despite his shutout on scorecards. He said the seat he took at the final bell was as much frustration over going to the scorecards as a nasty body shot that Vera landed in the final seconds. But by any measure, he was the clear winner.
“I knew I was better than this guy for three-and-a-half years,” he said. “I knew the first fight was a fluke, so it felt good. … I wanted that finish so bad, I thought I could sit in the pocket and f****** trade. He hit me with a nice body shot, and I was like, I already whooped his ass. I’m going to sit down and chillax a little bit.”
Even if he didn’t believe in the first result, he said it still felt good to prove to the world he is the better fighter.
“I always knew I was better than him. It never bothered me once that that fight played out like that. Look where I was at. I beat Thomas Almeida in one of the most beautiful performances I ever had.
“That fight never bothered me. I try not to care what people think. I knew I was better than him. It took me three-and-a-half years to prove that, and I did.”
The one party that may never respect him – Vera, who used every opportunity to bash the champ in the leadup to the fight – is another hater to be ignored.
“I think he told [my coach] Tim [Welch], ‘We’ll never be friends,’ but it is what it is,” O’Malley said. “I’d be jealous and hate me, too.”
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