Sean O’Malley’s first defense of his UFC bantamweight title now has its official poster.
O’Malley puts his belt on the line against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299, which takes place March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. In the much-anticipated co-main event, former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier risks his ranking against hard-charging up-and-comer Benoit Saint-Denis in a five-round non-title bout.
Check out the UFC 299 poster below.
O’Malley, 29, and Vera, 31, have faced off once before, with “Chito” infamously emerging victorious via first-round knockout in August 2020 at UFC 252.
O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) is undefeated in the UFC ever since. “Sugar” leapt up the bantamweight rankings in 2022 with a split decision win over Petr Yan then captured the title in 2023 with a second-round knockout of Aljamain Sterling. He is currently MMA Fighting’s No. 9 ranked male pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Vera (23-8-1-) rides into his first UFC title shot having won five of his past six bouts. Included in that run are victories over Dominick Cruz, Rob Font, Frankie Edgar, and most recently Pedro Munhoz. Vera is currently MMA Fighting’s No. 9 ranked bantamweight in the world.
Poirier (29-8, 1 NC) and Saint-Denis (13-1, 1 NC) meet in the co-headliner at opposing stages of their careers. At age 34, Poirier makes what may be his final push toward an undisputed title while still reeling from losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje in two of his past three bouts. Conversely, the 28-year-old Saint-Denis appears to be one of the fiercest new names rising up the lightweight ranks, with five straight UFC stoppage wins to his credit.
Check out the updated UFC 299 fight card below.
