UFC299 Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2, Odds, Preview, Picks & Predictions

Self-professed superstar ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley headlines UFC 299 this Saturday in Miami Florida, with the bantamweight champion looking to make his first defense of his newly acquired gold against former foe Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Vera is an unlikely challenger, having lost to #3 ranked Cory Sandhagen in March 2023 who is currently sidelined with injury, he manages to skip the line over fan favorite Merab Dvalishvili to get a title shot.

While both Sandhagen and Dvalishvili are certainly more deserving of a title shot Vera, Marlon has claim to being the only bantamweight to defeat O’Malley when the pair fought as contenders back in 2020. Vera stopped O’Malley in the first round of their fight with brutal elbows from the top position, after having landed a kick to O’Malley’s right leg that shut down the peroneal nerve in his lower leg, causing him to temporarily lose feeling and balance in his foot. The loss to O’Malley was a bitter pill to swallow, as the champion still claims today that he did not lose the fight, as the instances of a leg kick damaging that nerve are so extremely rare.

O’Malley wants to put on a dominant performance on Saturday to show their first fight was simply a fluke, but both fighters have markedly improved since, so don’t expect a repeat! On the undercard, we see war horse veteran Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier in his 30th UFC fight take on hungry and dangerous upcoming Benoit ‘God of War’ St. Denis, a fitting nickname for an ex-special forces soldier on a 5-fight win streak. Dustin is hitting veteran status in the UFC, having fought for the lightweight title twice as well as securing the interim belt respectively. Father time is undefeated, and the older fighters get fed to the younger fighters who are making their run at the belt, but we suspect Dustin’s experience will be the deciding factor in this bout. Finally, the UFC welcomes highlight reel knockout star Michael ‘Venom’ Page of Bellator fame to the welterweight rankings in his first fight with the promotion, where he will be tested against fan favorite Kevin Holland.

UFC299 Fight Preview

UFC299 Info

• 📅Date: 9th March 2024
• 🌏Location: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
• ⏲️Start time: 10 pm ET/7 pm PT (Main card)
• 📺How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
• 🥊Full Fight Info – Official UFC299 Website

UFC299 Main Fight Card O’Malley vs. Vera

UFC299 Parlay Picks

Lots of volatility and great offers in all of our expert parlay picks, with options for riskier parlays that still make sense, there are no complete outsiders on the main card so there are viable arguments for all matchups. In the earlier section of the card our experts do have matching picks with Yan, Burns, and Page all appearing more frequently, the toughest fights to call however are Dustin Poirier vs. Benoît Saint-Denis and Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera where you might just have to go with your gut. Sensible options are to have some Moneyline bets and also to cover any risky parlays.

Best Sportsbooks for UFC299

If you are looking to make a bet on the main card of  UFC299 then the 5 Sportsbooks listed below are our top recommendations.

Check out our dedicated UFC app betting guide for more details on the range of markets, and bets available and how to get the most from the most reputable UFC betting apps on offer.