Fight fans nearly got a short-notice matchup between top bantamweight contenders Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen, but UFC matchmakers weren’t feeling it.
Earlier this week, O’Malley revealed that he tried booking a fight against Sandhagen for UFC 318 just a month after losing his rematch to UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316. It would have been a three-week turnaround for “Suga,” who has now lost back-to-back fights to “The Machine,” but it was a gamble O’Malley was willing to take.
Ultimately, UFC booked Dvalishvili to defend his title next against Sandhagen at UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sean O’Malley says he asked the UFC to fight Cory Sandhagen at #UFC318 just one month after his rematch with Merab at #UFC316
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 1, 2025
"That’s a fight that’s bound to happen sooner or later."
@OverDogsPodcast pic.twitter.com/I9MTORQzcD
“I was actually trying to fight Cory [Sandhagen] when the co-main event fell out for that Max [Holloway] and Dustin [Poirier] fight,” revealed O’Malley during a recent appearance 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.
“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.”
O’Malley, who abstained from all vices heading into his rematch with Dvalishvili at UFC 316, is back to his old ways. Fight fans don’t know if that will lead to O’Malley getting back into the UFC win column his next time out, but “Suga” is trying to stay active.
That should count for something, right?
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