Redemption for O’Malley, Poirier, Yan in UFC 299

MANILA, Philippines – Yes, Sean O’Malley defended his UFC bantamweight title belt. Yes, Dustin Poirier, a loser in his last fight and seemingly on his way to a second consecutive against the man nicknamed “The God of War”, came back to win. 

Yes, Piotr Yan showed that he is far from washed up by defeating the surging Song Yadong. 

Throw in Australian Jack della Maddalena, who looked like he was going to succumb to Gilbert “Durinho” Burns.

UFC 299 had all the drama, the sensational fights and knockouts, but it was also about redemption and the all-time greats staving off the challengers from talented newcomers and Father Time.

In the main event, O’Malley, in his first title defense, treated mixed martial arts fans to a masterclass of striking, and well-timed and placed leg kicks for five rounds in taking a unanimous decision win (50-45, 50-45, 50-44) over Ecuadorian Marlon Vera.

Vera, the only fighter to blemish O’Malley’s slate when he knocked him out in 2020, looked unable to deal with the latter’s speed and pinpoint strike accuracy. A knee snapped back Vera’s head, and it was a wonder that he didn’t drop right there and then, an indication of the toughness of the Ecuadorian.

Vera’s best round was the fourth round, but O’Malley quickly rebounded.

"It feels good getting that one back. I'm guessing we can all agree, I'm undefeated still. Dana, give me a jet to Spain, baby! I'm coming for (UFC featherweight champion) Ilia Topuria! He's a scary dude. Going up a weight class excites me. But honestly, I'm here for whatever. If you guys want me to knockout Merab (Dvalishvili) I'll do that too."

O’Malley copped the Performance of the Night Award. The champion hiked his win total to 18-1-0 while Vera fell to 23-9-1, his second defeat in the last three fights. 

In the co-main event, Poirier looked like he was going to be on a second consecutive business end of a beating against Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis.

In the second round, as Saint Denis waded in, he dropped his guard for a moment and that was all Poirier needed to stun the Frenchman. He survived two more shots, but was soon on his back with the referee calling an end to the fight.

"I was getting beat up a little bit, but I got him at the end. I took this fight because he finished his last five opponents. He wasn't a name that the world really knows, he's on his way up, and he's dangerous. He has a never say die attitude. I had to take this fight because of honor. Eddie Alvarez gave me my shot when he was a former champion and I was on my way up. So you've got to pay it back. Hold your position or lose it, that's the nature of the beast."

Poirier picked up a huge win after a tough loss to Justin Gaethje to go to 30-8-0, while Saint Denis fell to 13-2. His two losses all came in the UFC.

The Poirier-Saint Denis bout was declared Fight of the Night. 

Meanwhile, "The Kung Fu Kid" Yadong challenged former interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan for a chance to take his top five ranking.  

Song delivered a perfect Round 1 with boxing, shots and feints, then Yan established his distance in round two, landing big strikes and ending well with a lightning takedown. Round 3 was a grueling showcase of boxing acumen peppered with shots from both, until the final minute when Yan succeeded in getting a takedown and control that swung the scorecards in his favor. The unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) win means Yan keeps his name in the line for future bantamweight title contention.

Yan arrested a three-game slide to go to 17-5, while Yadong fell to 21-8; three coming in the UFC. 

Australian Jack Della Maddalena looked like he was going to taste his first UFC defeat against Brazilian great Gilbert Burns after losing the first two rounds. In need of a miracle, Della Maddalena won his seventh straight UFC match to go to 17-2, while Burns succumbed to a second consecutive loss (including a previous defeat at the hands of Belal Muhammad in UFC 288). 

The next UFC event is UFC Fight Night, with heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura trading blows at one another in the main event. The co-main event features welterweights Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa. 

That card will be televised live on Sunday, March 17, at 4 a.m. (prelims) and 7 a.m. (main card) over the Premier Sports Channel on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as streaming application Blast TV.