"Sugar" Sean O'Malley will face his first title defense when he seeks revenge against Marlon Vera in a bantamweight bout that headlines the UFC 299 fight card in Miami on Saturday. O'Malley's lone professional loss in MMA came against Vera in 2020 at UFC 252 via a first-round TKO, but he has won six straight fights since then to improve to 17-1, 1 NC overall.
O'Malley is a -280 favorite (risk $280 to win $100), while Vera is a +230 underdog (risk $100 to win $230) in the latest UFC 299: O'Malley vs. Vera 2 odds. In the co-main event, rising lightweight contender Benoit Saint Denis (-230) meets former interim champion Dustin Poirier (+190). Before locking in your UFC 299 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever "ToutMaster" UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past five years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley's picks are up nearly $11,000. Just two weeks ago at UFC Fight Night, Marley advised SportsLine members to back underdog Jack Hermansson (+220) against rising prospect Joe Pyfer (-275) in the middleweight main event. Hermansson won a unanimous decision to give Marley's followers another easy winner. Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: O'Malley vs. Vera 2 on deck, Marley has studied the card from top to bottom and revealed his top UFC predictions. Those picks are available at SportsLine.
UFC 299: O'Malley vs. Vera 2 preview
O'Malley (17-1-1) is perhaps the most polarizing active champion in the UFC. His supporters are drawn to his knockout power (12 KOs in 17 career victories) and eclectic disposition, while his detractors point to a career trajectory that has seen the facial-tattooed combatant receive more than his share of breaks from the promotion.
O'Malley's critics point out that he received a title shot after just one win over a ranked opponent, a controversial split decision against former champion Petr Yan in October 2022. By comparison, welterweight contender Belal Muhammad currently has a 10-fight unbeaten streak dating five years that includes wins over five ranked opponents, but he has yet to receive a title shot.
Even so, O'Malley undeniably capitalized on his opportunity. Last August at UFC 292, O'Malley silenced some of his critics by scoring a second-round knockout over former champion Aljamain Sterling, who had defended the belt three times, to become a champion in his first UFC title fight.
His first order of business comes against the battle-tested Vera (23-8-1), who is looking to make a statement of his own. Vera was a sizable underdog when he and O'Malley met at UFC 252 in August 2020. The Ecuador-born fighter crippled O'Malley with a clean leg kick midway through the first round before following up with a barrage of punches to secure the stoppage victory.
In the aftermath, O'Malley refused to acknowledge the defeat while continually insisting he had maintained an unblemished record. He proceeded to work toward a title run while the battle-tested Vera, who has faced many of the division's biggest names, embarked on a run that has seen him win five of six to emerge as a title contender. He's out to prove his first win over O'Malley wasn't a fluke by delivering another dominant win over the flamboyant champion. See all of Marley's UFC 299 picks here.
UFC 299 predictions
We'll share one of Marley's UFC 299 selections here: He is siding with Kevin Holland (-135) against Michael Page (+115) in one of the bouts on the main card. Holland is a UFC veteran, going 12-7, 1 NC since making his debut at UFC 227 in 2018. He is looking to bounce back after losing to Jack Della Maddalena via split decision last September.
Holland likes to finish fights early, racking up 12 first-round finishes out of his 25 total wins. Page has 13 first-round finishes of his own, but he is making his UFC debut after going 17-2 in Bellator. Marley thinks Page is too one-dimensional, which will hurt him against an experienced fighter on Saturday night. See who else to pick here.
How to make UFC 299 picks
Marley also has strong picks for O'Malley vs. Vera and every other bout on the UFC 299 fight card. He's also backing "one of the scariest fighters in the UFC" to emerge with a huge victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 299: O'Malley vs. Vera, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 299, all from the seasoned expert who's up nearly $11,000 on MMA picks, and find out.
UFC 299 odds, fight card
See full UFC 299 picks, predictions and best bets here.
Sean O'Malley (-280) vs. Marlon Vera (+230)
Benoit Saint Denis (-230) vs. Dustin Poirier (+190)
Gilbert Burns (+130) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (-160)
Kevin Holland (-135) vs. Michael Page (+115)
Song Yadong (+100) vs. Petr Yan (-120)
Katyln Cerminara (+170) vs. Maycee Barber (-205)
Mateusz Gamrot (-460) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (+340)
Curtis Blaydes (-110) vs. Jailton Almeida (-110)
Kyler Phillips (-240) vs. Pedro Munhoz (+200)
Michal Oleksiejczuk (+120) vs. Michel Pereira (-140)
Robelis Despaigne (-330) vs. Josh Parisian (+240)
