Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera has leveled accusations against Sean O’Malley regarding greasing prior to their anticipated clash at UFC 299 in Miami.
In a display of skills on Saturday (March 9), O’Malley showcased a dominating performance in his first defense of the bantamweight title. He ended up winning the match via a unanimous decision over the sole adversary to have previously defeated him in the Octagon.
Initially, Vera accepted defeat with grace. He refrained from offering justifications for his performance while maintaining faith in his capacity to rebound from the loss.
Gordon Ryan has previously suggested measures to address greasing, including a financial penalty that would impact the match outcome and giving part of the penalty to the opposing athlete. It should be noted that UFC Grappling invitational insists on long sleeve rashguard in fall out from these accusations.
However, the narrative took a twist when Vera explicitly accused O’Malley of greasing. In MMA, greasing is the application of substances to make oneself slippery. This offers an unfair advantage in a sport where grappling and control are pivotal.
In a pointed remark directed at O’Malley, Vera questioned on Twitter: “Who braid your hair @SugaSeanMMA you where grease to the bone I wonder how much gel they use?”
Commonly, allegations of greasing arise when a competitor struggles to execute takedowns against the other person or is unable to get their hands around an opponent. But throughout their rematch, Vera never once attempted to grapple with O’Malley. The official stat sheet states that he had zero control time and never even tried or secured a takedown.
In response to Vera’s accusation, O’Malley challenged Vera to show a picture of his battered face. He demanded: “Send pic of your face.”
Although Vera has yet to respond to O’Malley’s request, numerous fans of the sport eagerly stepped in. They shared images of Vera’s face after the 25-minute bout, which showed him having taken 230 major hits.
With their rivalry currently deadlocked at 1-1, speculation arises regarding the prospect of a trilogy encounter between these two stars of the bantamweight division. But for now, Vera must plan out his next steps as he was unable to return home with a belt around his waist.