Sean O'Malley-Marlon Vera Rematch Booked to Headline UFC 299 in March

The stakes will be much greater when Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera run it back.

UFC CEO Dana White announced Monday that O’Malley, the promotion’s reigning bantamweight champion, will lock horns with Vera in a rematch atop the UFC 299 lineup in March. An exact date and venue for the event were not confirmed.

O’Malley suffered his lone professional defeat to Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020. In that bout, “Sugar” was hindered by an apparent calf issue after absorbing a low kick before losing to Vera via first-round technical knockout. The MMA Lab standout has since rebounded to go unbeaten in his next six promotional appearances, culminating in a second-round TKO of Aljamain Sterling to claim 135-pound gold at UFC 292 this past August.

Vera has won five of his last six fights in UFC competition — with a split-decision defeat against Corey Sandhagen the only blemish on his ledger during that time. In addition to besting O’Malley, Vera owns notable wins over the likes of Pedro Munhoz, Dominick Cruz, Rob Font and Frankie Edgar.