Sean O’Malley explains the only way he would fight Marlon Vera again

UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley recently explained the only way he would accept a rematch against his bitter rival Marlon Vera.

O’Malley and Vera met back at UFC 252 in August, and the Ecuadorian fighter pulled off the upset when he finished O’Malley in the first round with strikes. O’Malley injured his ankle in that fight and Vera took advantage of his ailment by putting him away via TKO. But in the months since that fight took place, O’Malley has refused to accept that it was a legitimate loss. After Vera lost a unanimous decision to Jose Aldo at UFC Vegas 17, O’Malley used it as an opportunity to scoff at his rival Vera.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley said that he doesn’t consider Vera to be on the same level as him. Vera has already said that he doesn’t have any interest in rematching O’Malley since he doesn’t consider it a money fight, and O’Malley feels similarly. According to O’Malley, he wouldn’t accept a rematch with Vera right now. The only way he would say yes to fighting him again is if he goes on a win streak.

“For me to rematch (Vera), he’ll have to be on a win streak. It’ll have to make sense. I feel like I’m just a different level fighter. That would be like fighting someone backwards,” O’Malley said (h/t MMANews).

“He said there’s not enough money in the world to fight me again. But dude, if he loses another fight and he’s like, ‘I want to fight Sean.’ He’s about to be Chito ‘Prelim’ Vera.”

O’Malley is expected to return to the Octagon in the first quarter of 2021 as he looks to get back into the win column following the surprise loss to Vera. As for Vera, the loss to Aldo means he’s still in the same spot at No. 15 in the rankings, so with a couple more wins in a row, perhaps a rematch with O’Malley could happen.

Do you want to see the rematch between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera?