Chael Sonnen was full of praise for Sean O’Malley after UFC 299, calling ‘Suga’ the best bantamweight he’s ever seen in the octagon.
Sean O’Malley dominated every single minute of his five-round contest against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, with the only real cause for concern being a nasty body shot that ‘Chito’ landed just seconds before the final bell.
In the aftermath of Suga’s masterclass, Chael Sonnen went as far as to claim O’Malley was now the best 135lb-pounder that he’s ever seen competing in the promotion – an outstanding endorsement from a legend of the sport.
Chael Sonnen breaks down Sean O’Malley’s performance at UFC 299
Sean O’Malley put on the best performance of his career to date against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in Miami, earning a unanimous decision victory over his bitter rival that never really looked in doubt.
Fans and pundits alike were blown away by the distance management and speed of O’Malley’s striking, which left Vera bloodied and bruised at the final horn – and someone who was particularly impressed by the show was the one and only Chael Sonnen.
Speaking on the ESPN post-show, ‘Uncle’ Chael celebrated the outstanding performance of the flashy American, even going as far as to claim the victory had cemented O’Malley’s status as the best bantamweight in UFC history:
“I was with Henry Cejudo last night, a very good friend so [there’s] no bias here, the best 135-pounder I’ve ever seen is Dominick Cruz…Move over Dominick.”
“That was the single best performance I’ve ever seen,” said the former UFC title challenger.
After Vera was able to get a finish in their first contest, many fans were expecting the Ecuadorian warrior to initiate more grappling sequences and even take O’Malley to the ground.
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Breaking down how O’Malley was able to keep the fight in his domain, Sonnen explained:
“You why Chito didn’t try to take him down, the same reason the other five guys never tried to take him down, they can’t get inside. He controls range, it is an unbelievable thing [that] he will hit you going that way, he will hit you backing up, he will hit you going to the side…Nobody can do that!”
The next defense of the bantamweight title will come against Merab Dvalishvili later this year, following his own impressive win a few weeks ago.
Whilst the Georgian wrestler will likely open as a betting favorite against the current 135lb king, Sonnen also teased that fans should be wary about forgetting how dominant Suga’s performance last night was:
“Dana gave us a treat tonight, which is we know who’s next and if you would have set the line, if Merab would have come off that scale yesterday and got in there, he would have been a favorite and Merab will be the favorite here…People are going to forget this real quick.”
Elsewhere on the UFC 299 card, former opponent of O’Malley, Petr Yan also earned himself a decision win over rising contender Song Yadong, thrusting himself back into the title picture.