UFC 252 Preview, Prediction And Pick: Sean O’Malley Vs. Marlon Vera

A high-stakes bantamweight bout serves as the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 252. In that contest, Sean O’Malley faces Marlon Vera.

O’Malley broke into the top-15 of the 135-pound division with his June 2020 first-round knockout win over veteran competitor Eddie Wineland. The victory moved O’Malley’s career record to 12-0 and his UFC record to 4-0. The 25-year-old has won fight-night bonus awards in his three most recent outings. O’Malley is currently ranked No. 14 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.

The 27-year-old Vera recently saw his five-fight winning streak end when he faced Song Yadong in a featherweight matchup in May. Before that, Vera scored five straight stoppage wins with three TKO triumphs and two victories via submission. Vera is unranked, but he has earned fight-night bonuses in each of his past two outings.

From a psychological point of view, O’Malley needs to not buy into the hype that surrounds him and Vera can’t focus on derailing that hype train.

O’Malley is a precise and powerful striker. He has good movement and can find openings so well that he makes things look almost too easy. In some ways, he os reminiscent of Conor McGregor. His ground work is serviceable, but it is not on par with his striking.

Vera, who has seven submissions wins, is better on the ground than he is on his feet. He can’t afford to start slow or tangle with O’Malley at distance because that is where O’Malley thrives.

O’Malley’s height and reach advantages could be a problem for Vera in this fight. If Vera can’t fight in the clinch or earn a takedown, it’s likely that O’Malley will keep this one at distance and score points at will.

On paper, this fight looks like it is O’Malley’s to win, but it also appears that it will be his toughest fight to date. He can’t afford to take the more experienced Vera lightly. Vera has never lost via stoppage.

Pick: O’Malley by decision.

UFC 252 takes place Saturday at UC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.