The UFC continues its hot run of PPV events with UFC 299 on March 9. Sean O’Malley defends the UFC bantamweight title against Marlon Vera in a rematch in Miami. The fight and event airs on ESPN+ PPV in the U.S.
O’Malley beat Aljamain Sterling in August to become the bantamweight champion. Before that, he beat former champion Petr Yan via a questionable decision scoring. His first big test was against Vera in 2020, with Vera compromising his leg and securing a TKO win. The 29-year-old has 12 wins via knockout and has amassed a legion of passionate fans.
The director of “The Suga Show” still has his detractors, and there are those who believe he shouldn’t be here at all. Now, though, he insists he is ready to put them in their place.
“I still feel disrespected as the champ,” O’Malley told the UFC. “The greats understand how good I am, but the average people don’t understand how good I am. They will someday, but right now, they don’t.”
WATCH: UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2, exclusively on ESPN+
Vera went 5-2 after the O’Malley fight. Owning wins against the likes of Frankie Edgar, Rob Font, Dominick Cruz, and Pedro Munhoz, the Ecuadorian secured a title shot after more than nine years in the Octagon.
He is ready to prove his win against O’Malley first time round wasn’t a fluke, while also holding gold for the first time.
The Sporting News will be live from inside the Kaseya Center and will provide results, highlights, and analysis from UFC 299. Check back for updates.
UFC 299 results, highlights
11 p.m. ET: Della Maddalena landed a sharp jab that pushed Burns back. Burns had the support of the crowd as he landed a takedown and tried to submit Della Maddalena. Della Maddalena almost landed what appeared to be an illegal knee. A nice punch from Della Maddalena landed. He landed a few more shots, pushing Burns back. Burns landed a crisp body shot and followed it up with leg kicks and a takedown.
10:50 p.m. ET: Gilbert Burns faces Jack Della Maddalena next.
Donald Trump has arrived.
Petr Yan returns to form, beats Song Yadong
10:45 p.m. ET: Spinning kick by Yan, and another. Yadong countered with one of his own.He hit Yan with combos that hurt the Russian. Back elbow for Yan connected. Yan got a takedown in the final minute of the fight.
10:35 p.m. ET: Round two saw Yadong stalk Yan. Yan looked out of it following the takedown attempts. An uppercut landed by Yadong. Inside shot by Yan landed. They exchanged shots. Yan looked much more comfortable as he landed hard punches. Combinations took Yadong off his feet. Yan countered a takedown and the crowd ate it up. He landed a double uppercut and a shot to the body. Yan landed a takedown himself. Both fighters exchanged shots in round three as the crowd is very pro Yan.
10:25 p.m. ET: Yadong went for the legs right away, pushing Yan back. Yan landed a straight punch to the face of Yadong. He was wary of takedown attempts. One can’t blame him following his last few fights. Yadong with combinations that looked like they hurt. He countered a leg kick into a straight punch. Taking Yan down, Yadong held onto the back and tried to pull him down through the rest of the round.
10:15 p.m. ET: First fight of the main card is about to start: Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan vs. the rising Song Yadong.
10 p.m. ET: The main card has started.
9:45 p.m. ET: Almeida went for a takedown right away, which got stopped by the wrestler in Blaydes. The former did land on top, picked Blaydes up, and dropped him down. Impressive. Almeida started manhandling Blaydes. It was shocking as Blaydes looked lost. Round two saw more action, with Blades landing multiple blows on Almeida until the referee saw enough. A needed performance from Blaydes. He called out interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall after.
The power of Curtis Blaydes is undeniable 😮💨
He gets the TKO in round two! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/jN4FXuIZux
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024
9:35 p.m. ET: The last prelim fight of the night is Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida. Almeida is red hot and Blaydes needs a win to remain a top contender.
9:25 p.m, ET: Cerminara went for the attack in round three, as she had a more aggressive side to her. Hard shot by Barber landed, and she continued her assault. Barber had Cerminara up by the cage, forcing the fight to slow down. Cerminara tried to stalk Barber and land crisp shots, but it only pushed Barber back. Barber took her down with ten seconds left in the fight. Barber won via decision, and may enter the top five at flyweight.
9:10 p.m. ET: Katlyn Cerminara (former Chookagian) faces Maycee Barber. Barber came in hot right away with strikes. She took Cerminara by the cage and held her there. Swinging away, Barber put Cerminara down. Barber used elbows and her shoulders to hurt Cerminara. Front kick by Cerminara in round two pushed Barber back. Cerminara looked much more comfortable as the fight went on. Barber did take her down, but it was all for nought. By the cage, both tried to find some momentum.
9 p.m. ET: Gamrot landed a hard kick in the second and dragged RDA down to the floor. He had much better control in the fight compared to the first. Gamrot continued to control the pace in round three, using more grappling. RDA tried to get back up, but could not muster any significant offense while there. Gamrot won via unanimous decision.
8:45 p.m. ET: Up next is Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos. Gamrot tagged the former champion right away. dos Anjos caught Gamrot slipping and took him down. He continued to outsmart Gamrot at every turn in the first round. At one point, Gamrot was the -450 favorite while dos Anjos was the +340 underdog. Wild to think that now.
8:30 p.m. ET: Phillips looked cool, calm, and collected as Munhoz rushed into him, attempting to make the fight his. The former looked like a complete fighter in all three rounds. A few shots broke through to the chin of Munhoz. As time winded down, Munhoz could not combat the tricky offense of Phillips. Phillips got the decision win.
8:15 p.m. ET: Pedro Munhoz faces Kyler Phillips in the opening contest. Phillips teased a spinning leg kick multiple times. The fifth attempt connected.
8 p.m. ET: The prelims have started.
7:45 p.m. ET: In the final early prelim of the night, Former PFL champion Philipe Lins faced Ion Cutelaba. Lins used his kicks to affect the.legs of “Hulk,” while both landed vicious shots to the face. Cutelaba landed an illegal shot to the back of the head of Lins, but didn’t get a point taken away. Lins won via unanimous decision.
7:20 p.m. ET: Michel Pereira submitted Michal Oleksiejczuk in round one. He danced his way to the octagon, landed savage body shots that put Oleksiejczuk by the cage. Pereira then held onto his opponent before the referee saw enough. Pereira did the Booker T Spinaroonie after the fight.
Oh he’s moving!!!!!!! 🤸♂️ #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/cFBkzUwnZ8
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 10, 2024
7:05 p.m. ET: Former Olympian Robelis Despaigne needed less than twenty seconds to take out Josh Parisian. The Cuban was an electric force from the moment he entered the cage.
6:50 p.m. ET: Kazakh Assu Almabayev defeated C.J. Vergara via unanimous decision.
6 p.m. ET: The first fight of the night saw Joanne Wood beat Maryna Moroz via split decision. Wood, who retired after, stormed back after a Moroz round two and delighted the crowd with hard blows in round three.
“I could’ve done that in the first and it would’ve been different!” 😅
💙🏴 Happy trails to one of Scotland’s finest, the mighty Joanne Wood @DrKneevil! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/nSTFnl6Auf
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 9, 2024
Build-up: Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of UFC 299. Stay tuned as we take you through all the action.
What time is UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 today?
The early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET, with the prelims at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is at 10 p.m. ET. O’Malley and Vera should make their way to the Octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Region Date Early Prelims Start Time Prelims Start Time Main Card Start Time Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) USA and Canada (ET) Saturday, March 9 6 p.m. ET 8 p.m. ET 10 p.m. ET 12:15 a.m. ET USA and Canada (PT) Saturday, March 9 3 p.m. PT 5 p.m. PT 7 p.m. PT 9:15 p.m. PT UK and Ireland Sunday, March 10 11 p.m. GMT 1 a.m. GMT 3 a.m. GMT 5:15 a.m. GMT Australia Sunday, March 10 10 a.m. AEDT 12 p.m. AEDT 2 p.m. AEDT 4:15 p.m. AEDT India Monday, March 11 4:30 a.m. IST 6:30 a.m. IST 8:30 a.m. IST 10:45 a.m. IST
MORE: How to buy tickets for UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 in Miami
How to watch UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2
Country Date Channel + Live Stream (main card) United States Saturday, March 9 ESPN+, ESPN PPV Canada Saturday, March 9 BELL, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink, UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass United Kingdom Sunday, March 10 TNT Sports, TNT Sports Box Office Australia Sunday, March 10 Main Event, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass
UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 PPV price: How much does UFC 299 cost?
In the U.S., the UFC 299 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. The PPV price for UFC 299 is $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $134.98 for the UFC 299 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent.
In the UK, the main card is on TNT Sports Box Office and will cost £19.99.
WATCH: UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2, exclusively on ESPN+
Product Prices ESPN+ Monthly Subscription $10.99/mo ESPN+ Annual Subscription $109.99/yr The Disney Bundle w/Hulu Ad-Supported $14.99/mo The Disney Bundle w/Hulu No-Ads $24.99/mo UFC PPV Standalone $79.99 each UFC PPV Package (UFC PPV & ESPN+ Annual) $134.98, then $109.99/year UFC PPV & The Disney Bundle
$79.99, then $14.99/mo
Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.
UFC 299 results
Main Card
Sean O’Malley (c) vs. Marlon Vera 2 for the UFC bantamweight title Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis; Lightweights Kevin Holland vs. Michael “Venom” Page; Welterweights Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena; Welterweights Petr Yan def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Prelims
Curtis Blaydes def. Jailton Almeida via TKO (0:36 into round two) Maycee Barber def. Katlyn Cerminara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Kyler Phillips def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Early Prelims
Philipe Lins def. Ion Cutelaba via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Michel Pereira def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via rear-naked choke (1:01 into round one) Robelis Despaigne def. Josh Parisian via knockout (0:18 into round one) Assu Almabayev def. C.J. Vergara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Joanne Wood def. Maryna Moroz via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)