Cory Sandhagen has made it clear that he wants to fight Sean O’Malley and is actively campaigning for the matchup, which he believes is a no-brainer.
O’Malley, one of the UFC’s top stars and a former bantamweight champion, is coming off a decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 after winning three straight fights, including capturing and defending the bantamweight title. Sandhagen, meanwhile, recently faced Umar Nurmagomedov and is eager to secure his next big fight.
Speaking on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel, Sandhagen expressed his surprise that the UFC hasn’t made more effort to book the fight with O’Malley.
“You read all the comments, and you talk to fans, and that’s the fight everyone wants to see happen,” Sandhagen said (H/T to MMA Junkie). “I’m actually kind of surprised the UFC hasn’t come to me or Sean, or said anything about that fight yet. They haven’t even asked, ‘Hey, are you willing to wait till June?’ because I would definitely consider that.”
Sandhagen continued, “One thing I’ve really come to appreciate is giving the fans what they’re paying to see. If that means waiting for the fight they’re most excited for, I would entertain it. I’d prefer it not to be all the way in June, but there’s no better fight you can make. Me and O’Malley would be a banger.”
Other Options
Sandhagen also revealed that the UFC offered him a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo for late 2024. However, Figueiredo opted to fight Petr Yan instead. With O’Malley coming off a loss, Sandhagen sees him as the only viable opponent at this point.
