Steve Luciano/Linked Press
Marlon Vera made certain the so-called “Suga Indicate” used to be over earlier than it even started.
Vera, 27, scored a dramatic first-spherical stoppage over O’Malley within the co-foremost tournament of UFC 252 in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.
O’Malley entered the Octagon at UFC Apex the principal person of the show cowl in precisely about all individuals’s eyes, other than Vera’s.
But after a solid originate up, O’Malley looked to endure an harm to his aesthetic leg that aided the Ecuadorian in his quest to destroy the UFC’s plans to flip O’Malley into its subsequent principal person.
That used to be the conception.
How else would possibly perchance one indicate that it used to be ultimate O’Malley’s fifth UFC wrestle, but the 25-year-dilapidated bantamweight contender used to be already competing within the co-foremost tournament of 1 of the largest playing cards of the year?
But it certainly obtained’t be the conception now.
Valid earlier than the bell tolled on O’Malley’s 12-wrestle undefeated tear to originate up his occupation, Vera screamed in excitement over in the end getting his fingers on the brash striker.
“Let’s chase!” he screamed, as he pointed towards his opponent when the 2 fighters were launched by Bruce Buffer.
Vera had lengthy been a contender within the 135-pound division, but he’s infrequently ever had the paunchy force of the UFC’s colossal hype machine within the help of him within the identical the model it used to be cranking over present months for O’Malley.
Heck, Vera couldn’t even count on getting shake from judges in most cases.
Gape no extra than his disputed resolution loss to Tune Yadong in Would possibly perchance perchance well also.
But O’Malley?
Since he burst on to the scene all the diagram in which by diagram of Dana White‘s Contender Series in 2017, O’Malley has seen aesthetic about every principal person align for him.
He must occupy impressed the UFC president, his peers and even hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg all the diagram in which by diagram of his hotfoot on that show cowl so worthy that O’Malley used to be given a UFC contract after his first-spherical knockout of Alfred Khashakyan and snappily-tracked to UFC superstardom.
But it certainly’s one thing to be given the prospect to turn out to be the UFC’s subsequent colossal thing. It’s pretty one more to in actuality enact it.
O’Malley used to be 4-0 within the UFC and 12-0 all the diagram in which by diagram of all promotions heading into UFC 252. He entered having obtained two straight fights by diagram of first-spherical knockout.
Heck, ESPN even produced a video promo voiced by Stephen A. Smith that serenaded the fighter as a future king and when in contrast the younger prodigy to the likes of UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ronda Rousey, the NBA’s Luka Doncic and Russell Westbrook and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
In consequence of of that, apart from to his penchant for standing out in a approach that virtually all folks merely invent no longer—something called authenticity—O’Malley had started drawing comparisons over present months to Conor McGregor.
The fighter cherished it. The UFC appeared as if it would bask in it. All the issues perceived to be going the classy diagram.
“Being when in contrast with Conor, yeah, it be colossal,” O’Malley told TMZ Sports two months ago. “It’s take care of being when in contrast with Jon Jones, Muhammad Ali, these guys. It’s take care of, ‘F–okay yeah,’ probabilities are you’ll presumably also review me!”
Again, it be one thing for a fighter to be when in contrast with anyone as carried out as McGregor. It’s one more thing to contend with up checking your complete major containers that show cowl one will be on the final note diagram to doing the same issues.
Brash. Unflappable. Classy. All these items matter, but no longer almost as worthy as winning.
But Vera’s indomitable toughness would possibly perchance also merely quiet no longer be ignored in your complete hubbub about how excellent and glossy O’Malley’s occupation will likely be.
In consequence of O’Malley had all the pieces going for him all the diagram in which by diagram of the main couple of minutes of the wrestle, and it never kept Vera from staying on his beat.
O’Malley used to be staunch and methodical within the early moments. He conventional his lengthy legs to land heavy, noteworthy kicks to his opponent’s lead leg. He continuously switched stances and appeared as if it will be throwing Vera off his dawdle with feints that historically would occupy led his opponent into countering alternatives.
But aesthetic concerning the time all that looked so obvious, Vera closed the gap.
Impulsively, O’Malley’s kicks were getting checked.
Then, his feints began to fail him.
After that, he tripped over his hang feet and suffered what appeared as if it will be a self-inflicted harm, one which had consequences from which he couldn’t get away and from which he would possibly perchance never fully get better.
Once O’Malley used to be down on the canvas, that’s when Vera jumped on top of him and pummeled the UFC’s subsequent colossal thing into oblivion with a pair of of the toughest elbows ever witnessed within the burden class.
The referee stopped the wrestle there to set aside O’Malley from sustaining to any extent extra harm.
It’s a disgrace he couldn’t set aside the fighter’s popularity from the identical fate.
