UFC 299 LIVE: Sean O’Malley and Chito Vera title fight goes all five rounds
Re-live updates after ‘Sugar Sean’ defended his bantamweight title against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera
Sean O’Malley avenged the only defeat of his professional career on Saturday, outpointing Marlon Vera to retain his bantamweight title at UFC 299.
It was a masterclass by “Sugar Sean”, who outstruck “Chito” across five rounds to secure a unanimous-decision win (50-45, 50-45, 50-44). With the victory, O’Malley made his first title defence a successful one, having knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the title in August. The American also took revenge upon Vera, who beat him via TKO in 2020.
The standout moment of the fight saw O’Malley drill a knee into his challenger’s face in round two – a shot that the Ecuadorian somehow survived. O’Malley then dropped Vera to a knee just before the buzzer signaled the end of the round.
Vera, 31, showed spirit to muster a decent spell of offence at the end of round three and early in round four, with O’Malley briefly retreating. However, the champion hurt Vera with a cross in the fifth and final round and saw out a clinical performance in the remaining minutes.
Re-live updates and results from the UFC 299 main card and prelims, below.
UFC 299 LIVE: Michael ‘Venom’ Page interview
More from our interview with Michael “Venom” Page:
“[Kevin Holland is] a competent fighter, he’s a tough guy, he’s a cockroach; you can’t kill him, but I’m gonna try. I’m gonna try really hard! He’s an entertaining fighter, I’m an entertaining fighter. Us together, I think that’s a match made in heaven.”
One criticism of Page’s career has been a perceived lack of top-level competition during his spell in Bellator, and the Londoner has admitted that his “ego” wants to prove his doubters wrong.
“I’ve been doing it behind closed doors, I’ve sparred with so many different people – names that I haven’t even mentioned before,” Page said. “I’ve sparred Leon, [UFC light-heavyweight] Johnny Walker, and I don’t believe any one of them would ever say anything negative about the spar. That just shows the level I’m at, but yeah, it’ll be nice to prove it, just because I’m a bit petty... I’m a lot petty.”
Full interview:
MVP on UFC debut versus ‘cockroach’ Kevin Holland and sparring with Leon Edwards
Interview: The former Bellator standout will square off with a fan favourite at UFC 299
UFC 299 LIVE: Michael ‘Venom’ Page interview
And here is an excerpt from our interview with Michael “Venom” Page! The London fighter, a standout in Bellator, makes his long-awaited UFC debut against Kevin Holland tonight. Expect fireworks in that bout...
“It’s weird, it’s still a little bit surreal. There’s moments where I kind of forget I’m here, then something will happen and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m in the UFC!’ I don’t think I sign off as a UFC athlete until I’ve stepped in that cage, fought and come out.
“One thing that helped was the bare knuckle fight [with UFC alumnus Mike Perry in 2022]. Once that fight was announced, Hunter [Campbell, UFC CBO] reached out to Audie [Attar, Page’s manager], like: ‘Does that mean he’s a free agent?’ Audi was like, ‘Oh, no, not yet,’ and explained, but that action meant: ‘Oh, these guys are interested.’
“I had one more [Bellator] fight, then there’s a certain term when you can’t negotiate. I had to wait that term out, but I was going around, flirting; you’d see me at different shows and stuff. Then the conversations were allowed to commence.”
Full interview:
MVP on UFC debut versus ‘cockroach’ Kevin Holland and sparring with Leon Edwards
Interview: The former Bellator standout will square off with a fan favourite at UFC 299
UFC 299 LIVE: Benoit Saint-Denis – exclusive interview
More from our exclusive interview with Benoit Saint-Denis:
In 2022, the UFC visited France for the first time, with Saint-Denis becoming the first home fighter to ever compete on a UFC card in the nation. He secured a vicious victory over Gabriel Miranda in a raucous arena and recalls: “There was an amazing communion with the crowd. I made a lot of sacrifices to be on that card. I had a foot injury and it was the worst training camp I ever had, but all the pain and suffering paid off in Paris.”
Another sacrifice surrounded the timing of the event. “I had my wedding one week before,” Saint-Denis explains, adding: “Laura and I met at a point in our lives when we were both taking different directions. She went from being in the French futsal team and winning the European Champions Cup with Toulouse to being a dog keeper then a shooting instructor in the police force.”
Full interview:
How Benoit Saint-Denis went from fighting terrorists to fighting in the UFC
Exclusive interview: The Frenchman looks back on his time in the special forces, and ahead to his biggest fight yet – against Dustin Poirier
UFC 299 LIVE: Benoit Saint-Denis – exclusive interview
Speaking of Benoit Saint-Denis... Here is an excerpt from our exclusive interview with the Frenchman:
If ever there has been an earned nickname in MMA, it is that of Benoit Saint-Denis. Some fans deem the Frenchman worthy of his “God of War” moniker purely due to his belligerent violence in the cage, but the UFC lightweight’s time fighting terrorists in the special forces is the clincher.
“I was in the French special air service,” Saint-Denis tells The Independent, his gentle drawl tinged with a French fizz as he speaks from his home in Bayonne. “It comes from you guys in Great Britain in the Second World War, it got created to destroy German aircraft in north Africa, and the special forces went on from there. In the UK it still exists as the SAS [Special Air Service]. I was part of a unit in France, and I was mostly in Africa – Mali, Burkina Faso – fighting against terrorist groups like Boko Haram. So, it was mostly counter-terrorism.”
Saint-Denis, the son of a military father, recounts the experience as matter-of-factly as if this was a normal career. It was not. Nor is his current one.
Full interview:
How Benoit Saint-Denis went from fighting terrorists to fighting in the UFC
Exclusive interview: The Frenchman looks back on his time in the special forces, and ahead to his biggest fight yet – against Dustin Poirier
UFC 299: Our pick for fight of the night
This is a stacked card, and so many bouts would be valid picks for fight of the night...
Ours, though, is the co-main event: five rounds scheduled between former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier and rising French star Benoit Saint-Denis.
UFC 299 LIVE: Fight odds
O’Malley – 2/5; Vera – 2/1
Poirier – 7/4; Saint-Denis – 4/9
Holland – 4/5; Page – 20/21
Via Betway. Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers.
UFC 299 LIVE: Fight card in full
Here is tonight’s card in full. As mentioned below, the early prelims are under way as we speak, and we’ll give you a full prelim round-up at the end of the regular prelims!
Main card
Sean O’Malley (C) vs Marlon “Chito” Vera 2 (bantamweight title)
Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight – five rounds)
Kevin Holland vs Michael “Venom” Page (welterweight)
Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight)
Petr Yan vs Song Yadong (bantamweight)
Prelims
Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida (heavyweight)
Katlyn Chookagian vs Maycee Barber (women’s flyweight)
Mateusz Gamrot vs Rafael dos Anjos (lightweight)
Pedro Munhoz vs Kyler Phillips (bantamweight)
Early prelims
Ion Cutelaba vs Philipe Lins (light-heavyweight)
Michel Pereira vs Michal Oleksijczuk (middleweight)
Robelis Despaigne vs Josh Parisian (heavyweight)
CJ Vergara vs Assu Almabayev (flyweight)
Joanne Wood vs Maryna Moroz (women’s flyweight)
UFC 299 card in full as Sean O’Malley defends title versus Chito Vera tonight
All you need to know as Sean O’Malley defends his bantamweight belt versus Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera
UFC 299 LIVE: How to watch online and on TV
The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
How to watch UFC 299 online and on TV tonight
All you need to know as Sean O’Malley defends his bantamweight belt versus Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera
UFC 299 LIVE: Start time in UK and US
UFC 299 is taking place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The early prelims are now under way, with the regular prelims following at 1am GMT on Sunday (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am GMT on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday).
We’ll provide live fight updates when the main card starts! Until then, we’ll keep you covered with build-up, and we’ll give you a round-up of the prelim results when the main card begins.
What time does UFC 299 start tonight?
All you need to know as Sean O’Malley defends his bantamweight belt versus Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera
UFC 299 LIVE
In the main event of UFC 299 tonight, Sean O’Malley will defend his bantamweight title against old foe Marlon Vera.
“Chito” Vera is the only man to have beaten O’Malley, having injured “Sugar Sean”’s leg to set up a TKO in 2020, but the latter is the favourite in tonight’s rematch.
Since their first meeting, O’Malley has become one of the UFC’s biggest stars, winning five straight fights – barring a No Contest against Pedro Munhoz in 2022 – and claiming the men’s bantamweight title in August.
The American, 29, knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the belt, and now his first defence comes against Vera. The Ecuadorian, 31, last fought on the undercard of O’Malley’s title win, beating Munhoz on points to bounce back from a loss to Cory Sandhagen.
In tonight’s co-main event, former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier faces rising contender Benoit Saint-Denis in a five-round bout.
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