Whittaker called the favorite for the O'Malley - Vera fight

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker analyzed the upcoming fight between the belt holder in the promotion's lightweight division Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera.

The meeting of these fighters will be the main event of the UFC 299 tournament, which will take place on March 9 in Miami.

"It's very hard to predict the winner. But if I had to bet, I would favor O'Malley because he has a knack for hitting accurately to the jaw. He has great timing and accuracy in his punches, and he turns his opponents off. He's very hard to figure out because he moves around, changes stances, and his distance is near perfect.

But if O'Malley doesn't get in and control the distance, it's going to be a long night for him. Vera is a warrior, he will be ready to fight to the last man," the Australian said on the MMArcade podcast.