The moment Sean O’Malley had been waiting for since 2020 finally arrived Saturday and the 29-year-old bantamweight champion delivered a shutout.
O’Malley avenged his only loss in the headlining event of UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami with a dominant performance over Marlon “Chito” Vera. Judges scored it 50-45, 50-45 and 50-44 for the champion.
Vera defeated O’Malley, who was an undefeated rising star, back in 2020 with a first-round TKO. O’Malley turned things around since then and won the bantamweight championship with a commanding victory over Aljamain Sterling in August.
O’Malley put his belt on the line to even the score with Vera. It was Vera’s first UFC championship bout, and he had won five of his last six fights, but Saturday was not his night and he lost a wide decision.
Also on the action-packed card, former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier surprisingly knocked out Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event. Petr Yan got back in the win column with a decision over Song Yadong and UFC newcomer Michael “Venom” Page outpointed Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland.
Here’s how the entire card unfolded:
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UFC 299 main card results
• Bantamweight championship: Sean O’Malley def. Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44)
• Lightweight: Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint Denis by KO (strikes) at 2:33 of R2
• Welterweight: Michael Page def. Kevin Holland by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena def. Gilbert Burns by TKO (strikes) at 3:43 of R3
• Bantamweight: Petr Yan def. Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC 299 preliminary card results, highlights
• Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes def. Jailton Almeida by TKO (hammer fists) at 0:36 of R2:
• Women’s flyweight: Maycee Barber def. Katlyn Cerminara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Bantamweight: Kyler Phillips def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 299 early prelims card results, highlights
• Light heavyweight: Philipe Lins def. Ion Cutelaba by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Middleweight: Michel Pereira def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:01 of R1:
• Heavyweight: Robelis Despaigne def. Josh Parisian by TKO at 0:18 of R1:
• Flyweight: Asu Almabayev def. CJ Vergara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Women’s flyweight: Joanne Wood def. Maryna Moroz by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
