The ‘Suga Show’ is looking to relaunch in Las Vegas when Sean O’Malley returns at UFC 239
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UFC 239: Jones vs Santos will be held on July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On the undercard, you have a bantamweight showdown between Marlon Vera and the returning Sean O’Malley. This fight was added to the card once the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) resolved four separate cases involving fighters who recently tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.
After a thorough investigation and finding no evidence of intentional use, consistent with other supplement contamination cases, O’Malley tested positive for ostarine following out-of-competition tests conducted on September 5, 2018 and December 8, 2018. The positive tests were treated as a single/first violation because the amount of ostarine in both samples is consistent with ingestion prior to September 5, 2018. He accepted a six-month suspension retroactive to September 19, 2018, the date he was provisionally suspended from competition.
With the suspension behind him, O’Malley is ready to get back to his winning ways. He holds a 9-0 record, but is only 2-0 in the UFC. O’Malley was called up after a KO win over Alfred Khashakyan on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Now he is set to take on a game Marlon Vera.
Marlon Vera is 7-4 in the UFC. He has fought the likes of John Lineker, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Brian Kelleher. Vera has won two Performance of the Night fight bonuses. He is a well-rounded fighter: he has won six fights by KO or submission. Vera will bring a skill set to the Octagon that will test O’Malley come July.
O’Malley’s two UFC fights have both gone to decision where he won both unanimously. He secured a Fight of the Night bonus versus Andre Soukhamthath. The talent is there for O’Malley, but now we need to see it against stiffer competition going forward. Although Vera is unranked, he is experienced and not afraid of the bright lights. I think O’Malley is looking at this fight as a springboard to get into the top fifteen. With a win, I see him fighting Rob Font next.
O’Malley has been a controversial figure outside the Octagon as well. After his knockout victory over Khashakyan, O’Malley said on The MMA Hour podcast with Ariel Helwani that Snoop Dogg asked to meet him. O’Malley went on to say, “I was puffin’ and passin’, trying to keep up, and they had a TV in there playing highlights of my fight, so we were watching that and smoking, it was so much fun.” Marijuana use is frowned upon when used recreationally as many people still view it as a gateway drug. It’s also a banned substance when being used out of competition, basically up to the last month of training leading into a fight.
O’Malley also known as ‘Suga’ debuted his own marijuana strain at his afterparty following the conclusion of UFC 222. He stated in an interview to TMZ Sports, “We’re releasing the new strain, Suga Show OG. It’s a mix between Lemonhead and OG 92. The ultimate recovery: Smoking some weed and drinking some veggies.”
Sean “Suga” O’Malley is a fighter to keep an eye on when UFC 239 airs this summer. He is an entertaining fighter with great upside and potential championship pedigree. But, he will have his hands full with an experienced Marlon Vera.
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The Scrap’s Lee Brown is a 22-year Air Force Vet, fan of all sports – especially UFC, NFL & NBA, and cohost of Lee N Keys Real Talk Podcast. You can follow Lee on Twitter (@Levanstian757) and Instagram (@Va121Lee).
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