While he’s no hater, Marlon Vera is not mincing words when it comes to his plans for Sean O’Malley this weekend.
When Marlon Vera and Sean O’Malley were first booked in July of 2019, O’Malley didn’t quite have the name value that he has now. So one would expect that after O’Malley gained even more traction, that Vera might be pining to have that fight rebooked. However, Vera claims that wasn’t the case. His ‘anyone, anytime, anywhere’ attitude had him ready for any fight that came his way.
“Honestly, I’m open to any fight, so I wasn’t really chasing this fight,” Vera stated. “When they made the fight I was like, ‘yeah, why not? Let’s do it!”
While some of O’Malley’s past opponents have had issue with how famous the fighter has gotten and how fast he’s gotten there, Vera isn’t in that same boat. In fact, he’s happy for his opponent and what he’s accomplished.
“Good for him that he got all that — that’s good for him and good for his career,” Vera said. “I don’t hate on no one. I couldn’t hate somebody for having a big name.”
But don’t mistake a lack of disdain for mercy. Vera sees that big name attached to O’Malley and knows he’s just 15 minutes away from stealing that momentum for himself. According to Vera, it may not even take that long to do so.
“I’m gonna to put him out. That’s the only thing I know — I’m going to put him out and I’m going to break him,” he said. “I’m going to take everything away.”
And if that statement wasn’t definitive enough for those at home, Vera offered a more graphic response.
”I’m going to f*ck him up.”
You can catch Marlon Vera vs Sean O’Malley in the co-main event of UFC 252, available on ESPN+ pay-per-view this Saturday, August 15.
