Marlon Vera was unfazed by any of Sean O’Malley’s trash talk or hype before his first-round stoppage win against ‘Suga’ at UFC 252 this past weekend.
Vera (16-6-1) became the first fighter to defeat O’Malley (12-1) after ‘Suga’ suffered an injury to his leg and Vera closed the show with heavy elbows on the ground. Vera said those who criticized referee Herb Dean’s stoppage — including O’Malley’s corner — are completely wrong.
“The guy was snoring,” Vera said of O’Malley. “When I landed the second elbow, he was making noises, he was out. And then when Herb Dean got in the middle, you could see [O’Malley’s] head bounce back.