Marlon Vera fans all over the world were happy to see him break a four-fight losing streak at UFC 331 – and as it turns out, former title rival Sean O’Malley was too.

At UFC 331, Marlon Vera looked slick, he looked confident, and he looked composed as he dispatched of Charles Jourdain. It was expected to be a tough fight for him coming in, but after making changes in his camp, Chito was able to get back to near his very best. In doing so, he has given his supporters hope of another possible run up through the division.

Back in the day, Marlon Vera challenged Sean O’Malley for the UFC bantamweight championship. While he was able to win their first encounter, with an injury thrown in the mix for Suga, he couldn’t get the job done in a pretty one-sided title defeat.

In a recent podcast, though, O’Malley was quick to praise Marlon Vera for how he looked and how he was able to grind out the win.

Marlon Vera is praised for UFC 331 triumph

“Four-fight losing streak, everyone’s counting ‘Chito’ out,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “I said, ‘I think this might be the time that ‘Chito’ finally gets put down, put out.’ He hasn’t been looking bad. He hasn’t been looking good. He’s been looking kind of like he’s looked throughout his career. This might have been his best performance yet against a very dangerous Charles Jourdain on a good (streak).

“I think (Jourdain was) 3-0 at bantamweight. He’s making noise, he’s fcking dangerous, he’s got good submissions, he can knock people out, and ‘Chito’ went out there and broke him. He fcking looked good. He did. Just how good is ‘Suga’ Sean? (I beat him) 50-45 – just an absolute dominant performance in Miami. The biggest fight in bantamweight history, the biggest gate in Miami history. But it’s not about me.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Now, it’s all about Chito building some more momentum as he attempts to claw his way back to a title shot in an increasingly tough division with lots of potential contenders.