The Bigger Picture | UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2

But that perception needs to be laid to rest.

O’Malley was candid heading into his championship fight with Aljamain Sterling last August that outside of beating former champ Petr Yan, he hadn’t been forced to navigate the same kind of gauntlet as some of his contemporaries, but he got the job done against Yan and then went out and stopped Sterling in the second to claim the title. Saturday night, he put it on Vera in a way no one else has to date.

RELATED: Sean O’Malley Post-Fight Interview | Sean O'Malley Octagon Interview

As we saw on Saturday night and will talk about more momentarily, beating Yan isn’t something just anyone can do, and while the questions about O’Malley’s strength of schedule as he worked into contention were merited and legitimate, he’s proven himself as a dynamic striker and genuine star talent in three consecutive outings.

He’s answered big questions in each of those last three contests, and though it’s understandable to wonder how he’ll handle he unrelenting attack of Merab Dvalishvili should the two meet, questioning his skills at this point feels misguided and done simply out of a refusal to accept — as he said to me ahead of the contest — that this tall, skinny kid with face tattoos and dyed hair is special.

It’s beyond time to give “Suga Sean” his due.

Salute to the Stalwarts

Dustin Poirier, Petr Yan, and Curtis Blaydes all arrived in Miami having suffered losses in their last outings, with many wondering where each of them fit in their respective weight classes heading into their individual UFC 299 matchups.

Each was paired with a promising, ascending talent — Poirier against Frenchman Benoit Saint Denis; Yan opposite Song Yadong; Blaydes re-booked against Jailton Almeida after being forced out of their first pairing last November — and many believed each would leave Kaseya Center with another loss added to their resumes.

In each instance, the divisional stalwarts showed not only that they still have plenty left in the tank, but that they’re still not individuals to be trifled with, either.

Blaydes wrapped the prelims by making Almeida pay for an ineffective takedown attempt and leaving himself exposed early in the second round, driving home a string of hammerfists until the Brazilian went limp and his winning streak went up in smoke.

Yan followed in the main card opener by warming into his bout with Song, finding his range and rhythm through the first before pulling away from the Chinese standout in the back half of the contest. After three consecutive losses, it was a reminder that the former champion is still one of the absolute best bantamweights on the planet, and that, in many instances, who you lose to is far more important than the result itself.

And then there was Poirier, who continually put himself in unfavorable positions by refusing to not jump for guillotine chokes every time Saint Denis entered for a takedown. Through the first, he seemed a little overwhelmed and outgunned by the Special Forces veteran, but in the second, he let go of his hands a little more as Saint Denis came forward and produced a crushing knockout finish that instantly signaled that his time as a top contender in the lightweight ranks is not yet over.

For years, I have written about the importance of these kinds of matchups for ascending talents, and how invaluable it is to have battle-tested veterans like Poirier, Yan, and Blaydes in the Top 10 of every division to fill the exact roles they filled on Saturday night in Miami.

RELATED: Dustin Poirier Post-Fight Press Conference | Petr Yan Octagon Interview | Curtis Blaydes Post-Fight Interview

We’re far too quick to write the obituaries for these athletes or want to brush them aside because they’ve stumbled a couple times or failed to claim the ultimate prize, but it is incredibly difficult to be a Top 5 fixture in any weight class in the UFC, and these three showed this past weekend that they have no intention of giving up their spots just yet.

Each turned in tremendously impressive performances and all three should find themselves in exciting pairings next time out, as well.

Reasons for Excitement

There is, of course, another way those signature “stalwart versus ascending talent” fights can go, and there were a couple instances where the up-and-coming competitors got their hands raised in Miami.

Jack Della Maddalena has felt a little like “the other guy” when folks talk about the emerging names in the welterweight division these last couple years, but he earned the best win out of anyone in the group to date on Saturday night, stopping former title challenger and Top 5 mainstay Gilbert Burns in the third round.

Della timed a knee up the middle just as “Durinho” was dipping to shoot for a takedown that sent Burns tumbling backwards to the canvas. From there, the Perth man pounded out the finish to move to 7-0 in the UFC and extend his winning streak to 16 overall.

A couple fights earlier, Maycee Barber continued her march towards the title contention in the flyweight ranks with a grimy unanimous decision win over Katlyn Cerminara. The 25-year-old struggled with Cerminara’s range and rhythm early, but was able to have enough success closing the distance and landing more high-impact blows throughout to edge out the former title challenger on the cards and keep things moving forward.

Both fighters are likely to land in the Top 5 in their respective divisions when the rankings update this week, and while their individual futures are undoubtedly bright, their triumphs in Miami also further underscore the reasons for excitement that exist at both welterweight and flyweight right now.

Mateusz Gamrot just finds ways to win, which is actually an impressive and important trait to have in this sport. The Polish lightweight survived an early barrage from former champ Rafael Dos Anjos to wrestle out a third straight win at UFC 299.

He’s now 7-1 over his last eight UFC appearances and positioned as both a fringe contender and dangerous test for anyone hoping to scale the rankings at his expense.

RELATED: Mateusz Gamrot Post-Fight Interview 

There must be something in the water in Glendale, Arizona, because the MMA Lab just keeps turning out quality bantamweight talents. Kyler Phillips looked outstanding in the opening round of his UFC 299 win over Pedro Munhoz before outworking the Brazilian veteran over the final two frames to secure the victory and has now won three straight and five of six in the UFC.

He joins teammates Mario Bautista and Marcus McGhee in a trio of talents currently moving forward in the 135-pound ranks, which is currently ruled by O’Malley, who came up through the standout Arizona gym and works closely with Tim Welch and “Tanquinho” Mendes, both of whom trained there, as well.