‘Is Sean O’Malley the Best in the World? Doubts linger ahead of UFC 299’

Henry Cejudo doesn’t believe that Sean O’Malley is a worthy UFC bantamweight champion.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become 135-pound champion at UFC 292, while Cejudo is coming off a close title loss to Sterling at UFC 288.

O’Malley is set to defend his title against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9, and Cejudo remains convinced that “Chito” will once again defeat O’Malley, despite being a substantial underdog.

“I still don’t see Sean O’Malley as the best in the world,” Cejudo said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “I don’t. I do believe ‘Chito’ Vera is going to beat him. You have good defense, you walk that dude down, you kick his freaking legs – he still has that wide leg – you kick his legs, you just bring the fight to him and grit.

“This is what Sean O’Malley will do: He’ll look at the clock because he throws a lot of power. He is precise, but he throws a lot of it. I would bet the house on ‘Chito.’ Once I beat Merab (Dvalishvili), I’m going to get ‘Chito’ next, and I like that fight, too. I like either fight, really. Walk him down, good defense, and you’ll beat Sean O’Malley.”

Former dual-champion Cejudo (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is currently seeking a matchup with top contender Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. He acknowledges Dvalishvili’s relentless grappling but looks forward to the challenge.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie