Sean O'Malley impressed by Marlon Vera's UFC 331 comeback win
The former UFC bantamweight champion believes "Chito" delivered one of the best performances of his career against Charles Jourdain.
Sean O'Malley admits he was wrong about Marlon Vera. At UFC 331, the Ecuadorian went back to winning ways after more than three years, snapping a four-fight losing streak. With an impressive performance, Vera defeated Charles Jourdain by TKO and showed he can still compete at the highest level. Following the fight, O'Malley praised the Ecuadorian's performance and called it one of the best of his career.
Sean O'Malley Praises Marlon Vera's Performance
Vera entered UFC 331 in the toughest stretch of his professional career. The former title challenger hadn't won since August 2023, leading many to question whether he was still a contender in the bantamweight division. Standing across from him was a confident Jourdain, who had won his last three fights since moving down to 135 pounds.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, O'Malley admitted he believed UFC 331 could have been the night Vera's decline continued. Instead, the former title challenger surprised him with an emphatic performance.
"Four-fight losing streak, everyone's counting Chito out," O'Malley began. "I said, 'I think this might be the time that Chito finally gets put down, put out.' [...] This might have been his best performance yet against a very dangerous Charles Jourdain on a good (streak). I think (Jourdain was) 3-0 at bantamweight. He's making noise, he's f*cking dangerous, he's got good submissions, he can knock people out, and Chito went out there and broke him. He f*cking looked good. He did."
The victory marked Vera's first win since August 2023 and ended the longest losing streak of his career. The Ecuadorian improved his professional record to 24-12-1, while Jourdain suffered his first defeat since dropping to the bantamweight division.
