Oddsmakers are favoring newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley to avenge the lone loss of his career.
O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) dethroned champ Aljamain Sterling with a second-round TKO in this past Saturday’s UFC 292 headliner at TD Garden in Boston. O’Malley wants his first title defense in December against Marlon Vera, who defeated Pedro Munhoz on the same night O’Malley claimed gold.
Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) is also the only man to beat O’Malley, stopping him by first-round TKO in August 2020 after O’Malley’s leg gave out.
According to DraftKings, O’Malley is a -198 favorite, meaning a $198 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit. Vera is a +164 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on “Chito” would win $164.
Since losing to Vera, O’Malley went on a six-fight unbeaten run, finishing four of those six fights. He edged out former champion Petr Yan for a shot at the title.
Meanwhile, Vera won five of seven after finishing O’Malley – including knockouts of former champions Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz.
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UFC champ Sean O’Malley opens up as betting favorite in potential rematch with Marlon Vera
