Marlon Vera does not see the warrior spirit in Sean O'Malley following their fight at UFC 252.
Vera defeated Sean O’Malley by first-round TKO on the card's co-main event slot, but the finish came after O’Malley apparently suffered a leg injury. X-rays showed no breaks in O’Malley’s lower leg/ankle, which leads Vera to believe that O’Malley quit at UFC 252.
“Now that the fight is over, he didn’t hurt his ankle — the x-rays came back clean,” Vera told BJPenn.com. “What I did to him, is basically when someone punches you in the jaw you go out. His legs went out. I don’t give a f**k what people think or say. There will always be haters. He went out. But, man if they don’t stop it I would’ve beat him worse in the second. Everyone has an opinion. It was a solid win and I am happy, I wouldn’t change anything,” added Vera. “I am going to be honest, he quit. But, at the end of the day, I know my kicks are powerful and it f****d up his leg. His nerve went away when I kicked him.”
O’Malley has not spoken since the loss to Vera, but O'Malley was also blasted by Ben Askren for being stretchered backstage and to the hospital after the fight. Vera is now focused on the future and he would like to face Jimmie Rivera next.
“I want Jimmie Rivera next and that is what will happen next. There is nowhere he can run now or any excuses he can make,” he said. “Right now, he has his back against his wall and can’t be picking his opponents. We have been scheduled to fight a couple of times, that is the fight to make. I would finish him. I will put the pace and pressure on him and I believe I finish him.”
A defeated O’Malley still needs to get an MRI done on the lower leg/ankle after the swelling goes down.
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