Sean O’Malley has admitted it was a “disgusting feeling” when he landed a knee to the face of Marlon Vera, after the strike went viral following their UFC 299 main event.
O’Malley dominated “Chito” for five rounds on Saturday (9 March), retaining the men’s bantamweight title via decision and avenging a 2020 loss to the Ecuadorian.
Vera, 31, has never been stopped in a fight, and “Sugar Sean” failed to buck that trend, although he came close in round two. O’Malley, 29, jolted back Vera’s head with a knee, sending a sickening sound echoing around Miami’s Kaseya Center.
Addressing that moment, O’Malley said on The MMA Hour this week: “I would love to know if I broke something in his face with that knee. It was the loudest pop I’ve ever heard hitting someone.
“It was actually a disgusting feeling, it was gross. I would love to see a picture of his face today.”
O’Malley also admitted to feeling a degree of guilt, referencing Dustin Poirier’s revelation on The MMA Hour that he struggled with his mental health after losing to Justin Gaethje in July. Poirier bounced back with a knockout win against Benoit Saint-Denis in the UFC 299 co-main event.
“Leading up, I was just so excited to get my hands on him, to beat his ass,” O’Malley said of Vera. “It’s a weird thing, [because] then you hear someone like Dustin Poirier talking about how bad he was feeling, [how] down in the dumps he was, from after that Justin Gaethje fight.
“I’m sure Chito’s dealing with some s*** right now. I doubt he would disagree. I’m sure he’s not having a great time, so there’s a part of me that feels bad for him. And I obviously caused that, but it’s the fight game.”
In 2020, Vera beat O’Malley via TKO. The result remains the only loss of the American’s professional career.
