Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley successfully defended his title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. However, the win got much sweeter for ‘Suga’ after reports claimed that his fight drew a gate of more than $14 million, but that came at a cost. Commentator-cum-podcast host Joe Rogan revealed what followed O’Malley’s success.

Sean O’Malley has been on a roll. Dubbed as the next big superstar of the UFC, he has not disappointed fans whenever he walks out to the Octagon, and even excelling while in action. But after putting on a stellar performance to avenge his loss against ‘Chito’ Vera, O’Malley was barely able to walk.

Joe Rogan claims Sean O’Malley was spent after the ‘Chito’ Vera fight

During a recent episode of the JRE podcast, Joe Rogan revealed that Sean O’Malley wasn’t looking too good at the end of the PPV despite having dominated Marlon Vera in the main event. ‘Suga’s body appeared to have taken a lot of damage during the fight. Rogan said, “When you watch like ‘Chito’ vs. ‘Suga’ Sean, at the end of that fight, even though ‘Suga’ Sean put on a clinic… he was beat the f*** up.”

Moreover, Joe Rogan claimed that Sean O’Malley had bruised and broken his arms and his legs as well, and the medical professionals had to put a cast on those limbs. It was hard for the 56-year-old to believe that ‘Suga’ was the victorious one that evening since he did not leave the cage in the same condition he walked in. “He walked out of there with a foot cast, an arm cast. He’s limping through the hallway, and he won,” Rogan added. Besides, the loser was in an even worse condition.

Now let’s take a look at what Rogan had to say about ‘Chito’s condition.

MMA is brutal, according to Rogan

After providing a health update on Sean O’Malley, Joe Rogan turned his attention to Marlon Vera, claiming that he was bloodied and battered after the main event. They gave so much of their effort during the fight that both fighters had all their energy spent. The UFC color commentator further remarked, “Chito was just busted up, man. His whole face was busted up. I mean, those guys were exhausted. They went through hell.”

Although the 56-year-old UFC lifer claims to be the biggest advocate of mixed martial arts, he expressed his worries about the dangers of the sport. MMA is a brutal sport to try to make a living out of. “It took them 12 weeks to get into kind of peak physical condition just to be able to do that… It’s a crazy way to make a living, man,” Joe Rogan added.

According to recent posts from Sean O’Malley on his social media handles, he seems to be feeling better and training again. However, it begs the question of how much can a fighter’s body take after what Joe Rogan had to say about the aftermath of UFC 299. But on the bright side, O’Malley not only helped UFC garner a $14 million-plus gate, he also edged past many top fighters and main eventers. We will have to wait and see how the future pans out for ‘Suga’ in the years to come.

Read More: Joe Rogan on How Sean O’Malley Can Open Up Road to Double Champ Status if Merab Dvalishvili Bites Dust