MMASucka staff picks are an incredibly stacked night of fights.
UFC 299 will take place tonight, March 9th, from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. This comes as the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to the city and venue for only the third time in company history after UFC 42 in early 2003 and UFC 287 in April of last year. Tonight’s card begins with preliminary fights at 6:00pm ET (3:00pm PT) on UFC Fight Pass followed by the regular prelims on both ESPN and ESPN+. Five fights, including a title bout, will take place on pay-per-view at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT).
Stay tuned here at MMASucka for UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2 results.
Main Event
A highly-anticipated rematch is in store for the UFC Bantamweight Championship between title holder Sean O’Malley and challenger Marlon Vera. The two previously met in August of 2020 where, after a leg kick early on, saw Vera take the victory by technical knockout in the first round.
The fight stands as O’Malley’s only professional defeat to date through 19 professional fights (excluding a No Contest with Pedro Munhoz in mid-2022). The 2017 Contender Series signee has won five consecutive fights including his title-crowning knockout over Aljamain Sterling in August of last year. O’Malley’s opponent, Vera, has gone on to a 5-2 record after the victory including highlight-reel finishes over veterans Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz. The Ecuadorian talent and former TUF: Latin American competitor earned his shot at the belt with an August win over the aforementioned Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision.
Bantamweight gold on the line TOMORROW NIGHT 🏆@SugaSeanMMA vs @ChitoVeraUFC #UFC299 | SATURDAY | Live on ESPN+ PPV https://t.co/8nEKJDA0MU pic.twitter.com/RnoMFT6BHT
— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2024
Co-Main Event
Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint Denis will battle across five possible rounds in a special featured co-main event.
Former interim UFC Lightweight Champion and longtime octagon favorite Poirier enters as the underdog looking to rebound after suffering a knockout defeat to Justin Gaethje in July of last year for the “BMF Title.” Fast-rising Frenchman Benoit Saint Denis looks to continue his impressive UFC run whilst maintaining his 100% finishing streak (4 via KO/TKO, 9 via SUB).
Remaining Card
Welterweights looking to steal the show see the always-entertaining Kevin Holland set to fight dangerous showman debutant Michael Page.
Grappling specialist Gilbert Burns will also contest at 170 pounds in his main card pairing with Perth, Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena who has won his last 16 bouts in-a-row.
Opening the stacked pay-per-view sees former UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan looking to snap a three-fight skid against 26-year-old Team Alpha Male contender Song Yadong.
Although not included in today’s picks, the night’s preliminary card bring exciting action. See our UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2 staff picks further below.
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Who wins and who is picked to win at UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2?
RECORDS AFTER UFC FIGHT NIGHT 238:
1. Nate Freeman: 41-20
2T. Wesley Riddle: 37-24
2T. Frazer Krohn: 37-24
4. Michael DeSantis: 33-23
5. Jeremy Brand: 32-29
6. Julio Monteros Jr.: 28-11
7. Andrew Benjamin: 21-26
8. Lukas DeWitt: 19-14
9. Michael Kachan: 6-2
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Petr Yan (16-5), -130
vs.
Song Yadong (21-7-1, 1 NC), +110
BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Yadong via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Yadong via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Yan via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Yan via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Yan via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Yan via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Yadong via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Yan: 4
Staff picking Yadong: 3
Gilbert Burns (22-6), +130
vs.
Jack Della Maddalena (16-2), -155
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Burns via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Burns via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Della Maddalena via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Burns via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Burns via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Burns via Split Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Burns: 5
Staff picking Della Maddalena: 2
Kevin Holland (25-10, 1 NC), -130
vs.
Michael Page (21-2), +110
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Page via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Page via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Page via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Page via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Page via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Page via Split Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Holland via Split Decision
Staff picking Holland: 1
Staff picking Page: 6
Dustin Poirier (29-8, 1 NC), +185
vs.
Benoit Saint Denis (13-1, 1 NC), -225
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Poirier via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Saint Denis via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Poirier via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Poirier via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Poirier via Round 4 TKO
Nate Freeman: Poirier via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Poirier via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Poirier: 6
Staff picking Saint Denis: 1
Sean O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC), -275
vs.
Marlon Vera (21-8-1), +220
BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
– MAIN EVENT –
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: O’Malley via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: O’Malley via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: O’Malley via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Vera via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: O’Malley via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: O’Malley via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: O’Malley via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking O’Malley: 6
Staff picking Vera: 1
