UFC 239: Marlon Vera Tells Sean O’Malley Off, Following Latter’s Removal

A few days ago, Sean O’Malley announced that the Nevada Commission has yanked him from UFC 239, and the man who he was supposed to face, Marlon Vera, had a few choice words for “Sugar”.

Last week O’Malley reported that trace amounts of Ostarine have shown up in his system again, and while USADA isn’t sanctioning him, the Nevada Commission has apparently pulled him from the July 6th event. O’Malley tested positive for Ostarine last year, but since the levels were consistent with those found in contaminated supplements, he received a reduced, six-month suspension.

Well, while O’Malley has always denied knowingly taking any type of banned substance, Vera isn’t convinced. While talking to MMA Junkie since news of O’Malley’s removal surfaced, the bantamweight had this to say about his now, former opponent.

“(Expletive) him,” Vera said. “I don’t know what’s happening. I really don’t know if he’s really cheating or not. Again, (expletive) that guy. He was just an opponent, and I’ll wait for another guy. Hopefully, they can find me a replacement. If they don’t do it, then I cannot stress for stuff I cannot control.”

“(Some) people say, ‘(Expletive) the cheaters.’ (Some) people say, ‘He’s not cheating. It’s a Jon Jones situation.’ Honestly, I really don’t know,” Vera said. “I really don’t understand because technically he tested positive last time, and this time he tested positive because he kept showing the same stuff as last time. I really don’t understand if he’s cheating. I’ll just let the professionals do their job, and I’ll do my job, too – go and fight someone else. …”

Not everyone’s going to agree with Vera here, in terms of telling O’Malley. But, you can definitely understand his frustration. We’re less than two weeks out from the card, and as it stands right now, Vera doesn’t have an opponent. So, hopefully, the UFC can find someone to face “Chito” so that he picks up a paycheck, July 6th.

It’s also an unfortunate situation for fans. Vera – O’Malley had the potential to be an outstanding fight.

UFC 239 will be hosted by the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Here is the current line-up for the card.

UFC 239 Main Card on PPV (10 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos
135 lbs.: Amanda Nunes vs. Holly Holm
170 lbs.: Ben Askren vs. Jorge Masvidal
205 lbs.: Jan Blachowicz vs. Luke Rockhold
170 lbs.: Michael Chiesa vs. Diego Sanchez

UFC 239 Prelims on ESPN (8 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Arnold Allen vs. Gilbert Melendez
135 lbs.: TBD vs. Marlon Vera
115 lbs.: Claudia Gadelha vs. Randa Markos

UFC 239 Prelims on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Jack Marshman vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
135 lbs.: Alejandro Perez vs. Song Yadong
170 lbs.: Ismail Naurdiev vs. Chance Rencountre