Sean O’Malley leaves Vera unrecognizable after UFC 299 beatdown to retain BW title

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SEAN O’MALLEY continued his reign as bantamweight champion with a dominant performance against Marlon Vera in their highly anticipated rematch.

The fan favorite looked to defend the 135-pound throne for the first time on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 299 in Miami.

Sean O’Malley joined Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299Credit: GETTY

The bantamweight champion was on edge from the startCredit: Getty

Sean O'Malley succeeded brilliantly in the range against Marlon Vera — Sean O’Malley succeeded brilliantly in the range against Marlon VeraCredit: Getty

O'Malley retained his bantamweight throne via unanimous decision — O’Malley retained his bantamweight throne via unanimous decisionCredit: Getty

Between the colorful character and a new ruby on his title stood a former enemy Verawho knocked him unconscious almost four years ago.

O’Malley, 29, was confident he would get revenge on the Ecuadorian and prove his victory at the UFC Apex was a fluke.

And that’s exactly what he did with a dominant decision victory that he hopes has laid the foundation for a championship fight against featherweight king Ilia Topuria.

He bellowed, “Dana, arrange a plane to Spain. I’ve come to see Ilia Topuria.

“If you want me to knock out Merab [Dvalishvili]I will too.”

Bitter rivals O’Malley and Vera opted not to touch gloves after referee Keith Peterson kicked off proceedings.

O’Malley was happy to stay on the outside and appeared to feint his way inside as Vera probed his range with front kicks.

Despicable chants of: “EcuadorEcuador, Ecuador” sounded throughout the arena in an attempt to lead ‘Chito’ to victory.

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O’Malley quickly landed a straight after they disappeared, but a blocked body kick from Vera brought them back to life.

A switch to left-handed cleared the way for O’Malley to land a beautiful straight left, which drew a big reaction from the crowd.

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Vera returned the favor moments later, sparking “Ole, Ole” chants in his favor.

O’Malley went to the body several times in the closing moments of the round before missing a straight telegraph.

O’Malley opened the second round with a high, spinning heel kick that hit the goal.

Vera surprisingly didn’t use the leg kicks he used to great effect during their first fight.

A partially blocked head kick from O’Malley caused a strong reaction from the crowd just after a minute and a half.

Vera’s head was knocked back by two one-two combinations just before the two minutes were up, a harsh reminder of the speed difference between them.

His head was nearly sent into orbit thirty seconds later when O’Malley landed a huge knee right to the center.

But the Ecuadorian ate it like a packed lunch and defended the ensuing attack, although he ate a head kick and right hand in front of the horn.

Vera came out aggressive early in the third, but left herself open to counters from the champion.

And his lack of footwork prevented him from consistently landing notable shots, although he did end the round with a good right hand.

Sean O'Malley was deadly and accurate from distance — Sean O’Malley was deadly and accurate from distanceCredit: GETTY

Marlon Vera almost had his head taken off in the second round by a vicious flying kneeCredit: GETTY

Vera was urged again by his compatriots early in the fourth.

And their support prompted him to put his foot down gas and country one Nice knee as he aggressively closed the distance.

Vera managed to draw blood with a good straight left, but soon let his activity level drop again.

This allowed O’Malley to get back to work on the outside and land shots from distance.

Vera was urged by head coach Jason Parillo to empty the tank if he wanted to become his country’s first UFC title holder.

But a big right hand from the champion quickly put him in retreat mode and made him wary of any shots coming back.

O’Malley appeared to stay on the outside in the final minute of the stanza, but found himself embroiled in a war in the final 30 seconds after a knee from the challenger, who fired a brutal liver shot just as the final horn sounded.

All three judges agreed on their decision and scored the match 50-45, 50-45, 50-44 in favor of O’Malley.

A heartbroken Vera said in his post-fight interview: “I’ll be back. One day I’ll be champion.”