After a six-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley was scheduled to return to the cage opposite Marlon Vera at UFC 239. Regrettably, has once again tested positive for ostarine, the same banned substance he was previously sanctioned for.
While USADA has elected not to suspended O’Malley again, this issue will still keep him off the UFC 239 bill. And his would-be opponent Marlon Vera doesn’t seem too impressed.
“(Expletive) him,” Vera told MMA Junkie. “I don’t know what’s happening. I really don’t know if he’s really cheating or not. Again, (expletive) that guy. He was just an opponent, and I’ll wait for another guy. Hopefully, they can find me a replacement. If they don’t do it, then I cannot stress for stuff I cannot control.”
That being said, Marlon Vera is reluctant to jump to conclusions one way or the other.
“(Some) people say, ‘(Expletive) the cheaters.’ (Some) people say, ‘He’s not cheating. It’s a Jon Jones situation.’ Honestly, I really don’t know,” Vera said. “I really don’t understand because technically he tested positive last time, and this time he tested positive because he kept showing the same stuff as last time. I really don’t understand if he’s cheating. I’ll just let the professionals do their job, and I’ll do my job, too – go and fight someone else.
“It’s the second time he tested positive. It’s weird because a couple of guys from that gym tested positive, too, so I don’t know what’s going on. But I don’t (expletive) care. I’ll keep my mind positive and keep going forward. Acceptance over everything. You’ve got to accept this stuff that is happening. It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do, right?”
At present, it’s not clear whether or not Marlon Vera will be kept on the UFC 239 card, or if his fight with Sean O’Malley will be rescheduled for a later date. Stay tuned for further updates on that as details emerge.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/24/2019.