Marlon Vera Vows “Paycheck” Will Grow After Sean O’Malley Fight

Sean O’Malley has done nothing but win so far in his MMA career, and “Sugar” is unquestionably, one of the fastest rising names in the UFC’s bantamweight division. But, as Marlon Vera gets set to face the burgeoning star, he has no doubts he’ll violently halt O’Malley’s rise.

Vera says he’ll be in store for a raise

The 25-year-old O’Malley called for a bout with the 27-year-old Vera, following “Sugar’s” impressive, KO win over Eddie Wineland in June. That victory was O’Malley’s fourth in the Octagon, after he earned a UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Well, one of the reasons O’Malley wanted to fight Vera, is because of the run “Chito” has been on. Although Vera (15-6-1) is officially coming off a loss to Yadong Song, a lot of people scored the fight for him.

Prior to that, the Ecuadorian fighter had won five straight.

Clearly Vera’s recent successes have understandably bolstered his confidence, as while talking about his upcoming battle with O’Malley recently, he said this (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“I just see myself going in there and (expletive) the guy up,” Vera said. “I’m pretty ready, I’m feeling good, I’m feeling confident.

I show in every fight that I come to fight and put on a show for the fans and that’s what they like, that’s what they pay for. Nobody pays for a hugging contest or a fight against the cage.”

Vera was also asked about the fact that O’Malley’s been predicting he’ll take him out in the first, even though he considers the vet to be his toughest test to date.

“All my motivation comes from myself, my heart, my family,” Vera said. “From achieving my goals and getting stuff done for me and the people that I love.

The rest is part of the show, part of the business. It’s fun. I enjoy the process, I enjoy the (expletive) talk, answering stuff, but I do it when I feel the need and sometimes I don’t feel like it, I just want to fight and that’s why I like to be active and to be able to do this every two, three months because I really like to compete.”

“My skin is thicker than his mom’s. It’s hard to get in my mind. I was the youngest in my family, I got a lot of bullies like my brother, everybody, so we grew up (expletive) with each other so I’m good on that side.

Win, lose, draw, whatever, I’m here to fight, I’m here to put on a show and Saturday night my paycheck is gonna grow.”

Understandable?

When you consider how Vera’s looked in his recent outings, and the fact he’s dangerous standing and on the ground, these comments shouldn’t be a surprise.

Further, although Vera doesn’t have that many more fights on his record than O’Malley, he’s been fighting professionally since 2011. O’Malley had his first pro bout in 2015.

The question is, however, will Vera go out and score the upset win on Saturday night?