Sean O’Malley isn’t taking time to sulk after his second straight loss to Merab Dvalishvili. Instead, the former UFC bantamweight champion wants another shot at staying relevant in the title picture, and he already has a name in mind.
After getting finished in the second round by Dvalishvili at UFC 316, O’Malley offered himself as a replacement when the co-main event for UFC 318 fell apart.
“I was actually trying to fight Cory [Sandhagen] when the co-main event fell out for that Max [Holloway] and Dustin [Poirier] fight,” O’Malley said on the Overdogs Podcast. “I threw my name out there to UFC. I was like… three weeks, me vs. Cory would be sweet, but it didn’t really make sense for the UFC.”
The promotion decided to go in another direction, booking Sandhagen to challenge Dvalishvili for the bantamweight belt at UFC 320. That title fight will serve as the co-main event beneath a light heavyweight championship rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.
Despite the UFC moving on, O’Malley remains interested in a matchup with Sandhagen.
“Cory vs. Merab 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.”
Sean O’Malley may be two steps removed from gold, but he’s not done. He said he’ll keep fighting for as long as his body holds up, and he isn’t shying away from the grind it’ll take to get back in the conversation.
During the interview, O’Malley also gave his thoughts on the upcoming Sandhagen vs. Dvalishvili title clash. Having spent nearly 40 minutes locked in the cage with Dvalishvili, he understands how dangerous the Georgian really is.
“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.”
Even with back-to-back losses to Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley hasn’t lost confidence in his place among the elite at 135 pounds. He’s still chasing big fights and still chasing greatness, all while staying true to the “Suga” show.
