Marlon Vera sounds off on Sean O'Malley's UFC 239 withdrawal, eager to remain on card
All Marlon Vera wants to do is fight at UFC 239.
However, the Ecuadorian bantamweight’s status for next week’s pay-per-view event is currently in question. On Friday, his opponent, Sean O’Malley, took to social media to announce his withdrawal from their matchup after trace amounts of ostarine were detected in his system.
The 24-year-old bantamweight was suspended for the same substance last year. However, unlike the first ostarine flagging, it was the Nevada State Athletic Commission, not the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, that voiced a potential issue this time around.
As you could imagine, “Chito” Vera isn’t happy with the late development and expressed as much in a phone interview with MMA Junkie.
“(Expletive) him,” Vera said. “I don’t know what’s happening. I really don’t know if he’s really cheating or not. Again, (expletive) that guy. He was just an opponent, and I’ll wait for another guy. Hopefully, they can find me a replacement. If they don’t do it, then I cannot stress for stuff I cannot control.”
While Vera is admittedly unsure if O’Malley is a “cheater,” Vera said he’s entirely fed up with the situation.
“(Some) people say, ‘(Expletive) the cheaters.’ (Some) people say, ‘He’s not cheating. It’s a Jon Jones situation.’ Honestly, I really don’t know,” Vera said. “I really don’t understand because technically he tested positive last time, and this time he tested positive because he kept showing the same stuff as last time. I really don’t understand if he’s cheating. I’ll just let the professionals do their job, and I’ll do my job, too – go and fight someone else. …
“It’s the second time he tested positive. It’s weird because a couple of guys from that gym tested positive, too, so I don’t know what’s going on. But I don’t (expletive) care. I’ll keep my mind positive and keep going forward. Acceptance over everything. You’ve got to accept this stuff that is happening. It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do, right?”
As of Saturday, UFC hadn’t informed Vera of replacement candidates, but Vera is still itching to compete. Riding the wave of a pristine training camp, Vera said he’d hate to see his efforts go to waste.
“Everything was going actually very well,” Vera said. “My weight and my training has been very good. I was just waiting to go in there and fight with (him). I was just waiting for going in there and fighting – getting ready for the fight. We’re going to re-plan and rethink and see what’s available. I’m waiting for the UFC to see who’s available. They’re calling people now.”
If a replacement fight isn’t finalized in the next few days, however, Vera said he’ll pull the plug altogether on fighting July 6 in Las Vegas.
“I will keep training. I will keep lowering my weight for a couple days. If they don’t have a replacement in a couple days, I’m going to walk away,” Vera said. “I don’t want to be cutting weight for nothing.”
While he was itching to trade blows with O’Malley at UFC 239, for Vera, it’s always been more about fighting than a specific opponent.
“My job is to get ready, fight and try to (expletive) that person up,” Vera said of his next opponent. “That person is trying to take all my dreams away, all my kids’ dreams away – (dreams from) my wife. Whoever is my opponent is my (expletive) enemy.
It’s a sport. I know that. But is it really a sport when everything is on the line? It’s a (expletive) war. You’re going to fight for real. You’re trying to hurt your opponent. I say it’s a sport in respect before and after the fight, but during fight time it’s a (expletive) war.”
For more on UFC 239, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.