Written by Sean O’Malley | Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
After getting dominated and finished by UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch at UFC 316, Sean O’Malley volunteered his services for a super short turnaround.
O’Malley has lost back-to-back fights to Dvalishvili, but recently said in an interview that after he was told a slated co-main event for UFC 318 fell off, he wanted to face another top-ranked 135-pounder on the July pay-per-view card.
“I was actually trying to fight Cory [Sandhagen] when the co-main event fell out for that Max and Dustin fight [card],” O’Malley said on the Overdogs Podcast. “I threw my name out to the UFC. Three weeks, me vs. Cory would be sweet.”
UFC 318 served as the retirement sendoff for Dustin Poirier as he faced Max Holloway in his final bout, losing a decision. While the card could certainly have used a boost in terms of star power, the event was primarily about Poirier and his career.
On top of that, Sandhagen is now set to challenge Dvalishvili for the title in October at UFC 320.
“It didn’t make sense for the UFC,” O’Malley said. “Cory vs. Merab is the fight was the next fight to make.
“But, yeah. Me vs. Cory is a very interesting fight. That’s one that’s bound to happen sooner than later.”
O’Malley has spent nearly 40 minutes in the octagon with Dvalishvili and knows what “The Machine” brings to the table. Being a student of the game, he understands how good Sandhagen is across the board.
When asked how he sees the title fight going, “Sugar” gave his take.
“Me and Cory have very similar styles,” O’Malley said. “Cory did do a good job against Umar creating scrambles, keeping his hips high when Umar tried to get to his back. Umar and Merab have different grappling strengths and techniques.
“But, man, I think if Merab can get a hold of Cory, I just don’t see… Merab felt just so strong, and just really strong in certain positions. His gas tank is ridiculous. I don’t know. If I had to guess, Merab [wins], but it’s hard for me to count Cory out because I do think Cory, skill for skill, is one of the best guys in the UFC.”