The UFC 299 card — headlined by the world championship bantamweight match-up between defending champion Sean "Suga" O'Malley and contender Marlon Vera — marked the second major UFC event held in Miami in the past year. The previous one, UFC 287 in April 2023, was also hosted at the Kaseya Center.
Let's relive the sights and sounds of the punch-each-other-in-the-face circus that rolled through town courtesy of UFC 299.
🐊@JoannaMMA and @PantojaMMA take Miami! ☕️@VisitMiami | #FindYourMiami | #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/u4ruAvg94v
— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2024
The Promotion
In the past, showcasing the City of Miami before a sporting event largely consisted of South Beach commercial cutaways to Will Smith's "Welcome to Miami." However, as the city has become a world-class host to major sporting events, promoters have done a better job of giving the world a glimpse into what South Florida looks and feels like.This time around, the UFC gave viewers a taste of what it's like to be a middle schooler growing up in South Florida by taking a pair of UFC fighters, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Alexandre Pantoja, on an airboat ride and alligator sightseeing tour — thanks, Mr. Dana White!
The Hulk is back tomorrow night 😤#UFC299 | @ICutelaba pic.twitter.com/pZuDGDBstf
— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2024
Green Meany
The Hulk, aka Ion Cuțelaba, lived up to his name by attending weigh-ins on Friday afternoon in head-to-toe green body paint — terrifying. No amount of money should ever coax another human to square off with this person, not even to thumb-wrestle, never mind actually wrestle.Cuțelaba would go on to beat Philipe Lins by unanimous decision. That all-agreed-upon decision might as well have been that Lins was lucky to have left the cage alive.
🚨President Trump enters UFC 299 in Miami to PACKED ROARING stadium
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 10, 2024
No one brings the energy like Trump.
pic.twitter.com/LJimUFASID
Trump Tradition
As has become a twisted UFC tradition, the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, made a grand entrance during the main card in Miami. Trotting in with his signature half-fist pump, Trump waltzed in next to UFC President and longtime supporter Dana White to catch the bigger fights of the night.If you're wondering how Trump was received, the answer is much better than many places, because Miami! Roars of "USA" and "Fuck Joe Biden" spread through the arena as some of South Florida's most stable people cheered on their king.
It's going great. Really. Thank you for asking, rest of the world.
This angle of Dustin Poirier’s KO is wild 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1ln5koSzhi
— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) March 10, 2024
Fight of the Night
Dustin "the Diamond" Poirier, coming back from some big-time pressure placed on him earlier in the fight, put the bullying on Benoît Saint-Denis to earn the second-round stoppage and fight of the night. Saint-Denis was a rising star coming into the fight, and for much of the battle, it looked like he might use the tail end of Poirier's career as a national stepping stone.Until it didn't. Diamond pummeled him with a barrage of punches before the referee put an end to the abuse. The comeback win was good enough to get the fighters both a nice Fight of the Night bonus to pad their purses, which are notoriously a joke compared to what they should be paid.
OUCH!!! Marlon Vera took a giant hit from Sean O’Malleys knee. Pretty sure he cracked his skull…. that did not sound good. What a fight this is #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/rV2clOZw0j
— Javier Aliaga (@javieraliaga_) March 10, 2024
The Moment You Kneed to See
There are constant reminders throughout a UFC broadcast that these are ruthless people entering the ring. You have to have a certain strain of DNA in your body to enter the octagon with the mindset of "kill or be killed." If you're watching from your couch at home, chances are, no matter how many days a week you go to the gym to spar or pound a boxing bag, you are not that guy, pal.A prime example of what sets UFC fighters apart from housetrained adults came in the championship fight when Sean O'Malley cocked back and placed a supersonic "Dragonball Z" knee directly to the cheekbone of Marlon Vera. The sound of the knee as it struck Vera's face reverberated throughout the arena the Miami Heat called home, drawing "eww" and "ahh" bellows from the crowd.
O'Malley wound up walking away with a unanimous decision to retain his bantamweight title.
We're not sure what was more impressive — O'Malley landing the knee or Vera eating it and competing for 20 more minutes. These dudes are something else.
A Superstar 😎#UFC299 | @SugaSeanMMA pic.twitter.com/GJ0zzY91YG
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024
Full UFC 299 Results
- Sean O’Malley defeated Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44).
- Dustin Poirier defeated Benoit Saint-Denis by knockout (strikes) at 2:32 of Round 2.
- Michael Page defeated Kevin Holland by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Jack Della Maddalena defeated Gilbert Burns by knockout (knee and elbows) at 3:43 of Round 3.
- Petr Yan defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Curtis Blaydes defeated Jailton Almeida by TKO (strikes) at 0:36 of Round 2.
- Maycee Barber defeated Katlyn Cerminara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
- Mateusz Gamrot defeated Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
- Kyler Phillips defeated Pedro Munoz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Philipe Lins defeated Ion Cutelaba by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Michel Pereira defeated Michal Oleksiejczuk by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:01 of Round 1.
- Robelis Despaigne defeated Josh Parisian by TKO (strikes) at 0:18 of Round 1.
- Asu Almabayev defeated CJ Vergara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Joanne Wood defeated Maryna Moroz by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
