UFC 252: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera Betting Guide (2020)
It’s been over a month and five events later since the UFC held it’s last Pay-Per-View, UFC 251 on Fight Island between Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman. Like on that evening, a belt will be up for grabs in the main event of this one when Daniel Cormier comes out of retirement yet again, this time for a third fight against current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Before the main event of the evening gets underway, however, two up and coming bantamweights in Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera will face off in what should be a very entertaining lead into the night’s biggest attraction.
While much of Saturday’s action will rightfully be pointed in the direction of Miocic vs. Cormier, there is certainly some value to be taken advantage of beforehand.
Let’s take a closer look.
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Sean O’Malley (12-0-0) vs. Marlon Vera (15-6-1)
Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook
Since joining the UFC by way of Dana White’s Contender Series 2 in July 2017, Sean O’Malley has been on a tear like the UFC’s bantamweight division rarely sees. Winning his four fights since on the way to picking up two Performances of the Night and one Fight of the Night, “Sugar†O’Malley has proven to had a flair for the dramatic.
Finishing both of his previous two fights by way of knockout around the two-minute mark of the first round, O’Malley is beginning to make a name for himself in the company, likely why he got this co-main event so early on in his professional career.
When he steps into the octagon Saturday night, O’Malley will be going up against a comparative veteran of the game in Marlon Vera. Since making his debut with the UFC in 2014, Vera has had mixed results, with his best run coming over a fight five-win streak that spanned 2018 to 2019, capped by a performance of the night victory atUFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson.
The last time we saw him in the octagon, however, was a unanimous decision back in May, in what was one of the UFC’s very first mid-pandemic events in Jacksonville, Florida. In that fight, Vera still earned Fight of the Night honors and set himself up for more opportunities like this one Saturday against one of the divisions best up and comers in O’Malley.
In this fight, O’Malley is the clear future of the division, and I think Dana White and company gave him the perfect opponent to show the world exactly why.
Pick: Sean O’Malley -300
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.