UFC Star Sean O'Malley Sends Encouraging Message After Former Rival's Latest Win

Sean O'Malley was impressed with a recent shakeup in the UFC involving an ex-opponent.

WWE star Nikki Bella (center) speaks surrounded by UFC star Sean O'Malley (left) and WWE star Chelsea Green during a press conference announcing the partnership of TKO Group and the Arizona Sports & Events Alliance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Aug. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley has taken a bit of a break following his UFC Freedom 250 TKO win in June, which has given him a chance to focus on non-fighting ventures, including podcasting.

In recent months, O'Malley has teamed up with a prominent MMA content creator, MMA Guru, for a joint venture called the Suguru Show, which combines O'Malley's nickname with Guru's character (his real name is Kyle Antony Mee).

During a recent edition of the show, O'Malley weighed-in on UFC 331 from Los Angeles. Outside of Joshua Van successfully defending his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, O'Malley was particularly impressed with Marlon Vera's third-round TKO against Charles Jourdain during the featured prelim.

“This might have been his best performance yet against a very dangerous Charles Jourdain," O'Malley said of Vera's fight. "[Jourdain], I think he’s 3-0 at bantamweight. He’s making noise. He’s f***ing dangerous. He’s got good submissions. He can knock people out."

O'Malley said Vera's recent struggles following their 2024 title fight are just part of the game, while keeping the focus on Vera moving forward.

Sean O'Malley Addresses Marlon Vera's Latest Win

Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Sean O'Malley (red gloves) celebrates after winning against Aiemann Zahabi (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"And Chito went out there and broke him," O'Malley added. "He f***ing looked good. He did. Just how good is ‘Suga’ Sean? 50-45. Just an absolute dominant performance in Miami. The biggest fight in bantamweight history. The biggest gate in Miami history. But it’s not about me.”

O'Malley admitted that he had doubts entering the fight, given the MMA community's initial one-sided assessment. Except, however, it was the opposite.

“Four-fight losing streak. Everyone’s counting Chito out,” O’Malley said. “I said, ‘I think this might be the time that Chito finally gets put down, put out.’ He’s just not been looking- he hasn’t been looking bad. He hasn’t been looking good. He’s been looking kind of like he’s been looking throughout his career.”

Marlon Vera's Immediate UFC Future Explained

Sep 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Marlon Vera (red gloves) reacts after defeating Charles Jourdain (not pictured) during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vera had not won a fight since Aug. 2023 and had earned four wins in his five fights before his title fight with O'Malley. Vera had not earned a finish of any kind in over four years, defeating former multiple-time UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz before Cruz's eventual retirement and transition into commentary.

O'Malley's recent praise of Vera is a huge first step toward a possible resurgence, as the bantamweight division remains a talent-stacked group of contenders with Petr Yan as the division's current champion.

We'll see if Vera can begin a new streak in his next fight.