Daniel Cormier goes to bat for Sean O’Malley following claims of “preferential treatment” from the UFC

Daniel Cormier is going to bat for Sean O’Malley following claims of ‘preferential treatment’ from the UFC.

It was a rematch between Sean O’Malley (18-1 MMA) and Marlon Vera (23-9 MMA) in a bantamweight title fight, headlining this past weekend’s UFC 299 pay-per-view event, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The result was a unanimous decision win for ‘Suga’.

The two originally met back in August of 2020 at UFC 252 where it was ‘Chito’ who handed O’Malley his only loss (via TKO) in the Octagon.

The decision to pit champion O’Malley against Vera, in what was his first title defense, has caused controversy as many believed it should have been Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA) who was deserving of a shot at the title first.

Daniel Cormier, speaking on his YouTube channel, had nothing but praise for Sean O’Malley saying:

“He fought beautifully. He was presented a canvas, and he painted a masterpiece. So many people didn’t wanna give this kid credit for how good he was because it felt like he was getting preferential treatment from the UFC. But not everybody, guys, moves the needle like this dude. Not everybody moves the needle like Sean O’Malley.”

Continuing, the 44-year-old commentator said he’s unconcerned about what some think of as ‘preferential treatment’ to O’Malley by the UFC (h/t MMANews):

“Even if there was preferential treatment, it was because of the company having the foresight to see what Sean O’Malley could be down the line. Now that investment is starting to pay dividends, as he shut out Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, 50-45, 50-45, 50-44.”

Do you agree with Cormier that preferential treatment or not, O’Malley deserves credit for his performances inside the cage?

Would you like to see Sean O’Malley fight Merab Dvalishvili next?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!