Marlon Vera on Sean O'Malley dying hair with Ecuador colors: 'Fans have always supported me'

Marlon Vera is glad his next opponent is repping his country’s colors.

The 27-year-old bantamweight fights in the co-main event of UFC 252 this Saturday against Sean O’Malley – one of the UFC’s most popular names in the bantamweight division. O’Malley (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) recently made headlines after dying his hair with the colors of Vera’s home country of Ecuador. Vera (15-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is unfazed by O’Malley’s antics and supports the change in look.

“The truth is that the fans have always supported me, and it’s something very gratifying to my country that he dyed his hair those colors,” Vera said in Spanish on Monday’s episode of “Hablemos MMA.” “He already knows who’s going to dictate the fight.”

As far as the actual fight, Vera recognizes O’Malley is a game fighter but said he wasn’t taken away by his last performance. O’Malley knocked out former WEC champion Eddie Wineland in June.

“He’s a guy that has talent,” Vera said. “He knows how to fight well. He has power in his hands. He has his style, but let’s be honest, people want to make that fight was his breakout moment, a fight that put him the highest. But the casual fans forget that Eddie Wineland was knocked out the same way by Johnny Eduardo. It was a very similar knockout.

“The people who don’t study the UFC that much that are only fans at night; obviously they’re going to think he’s the best, and good for him because that gets him more money, gets him to the title quicker. But at the end of the day, Eddie Wineland was knocked out like that a few years ago, so Eddie Wineland bout in my opinion doesn’t count.”

Despite the co-main event billing on a UFC pay-per-view card, and facing someone with the popularity of O’Malley, Vera is not buying into the hype of the moment and sees the contest as another day in the office.

“I always think that the next fight is the biggest of my career no matter who it is,” Vera explained. “In its time, it was (John) Lineker. In its time, it was (Brad) Pickett. In its time, it was (Brian) Kelleher, who was coming off a win against someone in the rankings.

“If the fighter has fame or not, that doesn’t make the fight for me. Every fight is the most important. It’s big, but just like any other fight. There’s nothing special about it. What’s special is that I’m ready, and I know I have the weapons to put this guy away.”

UFC 252 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.