Cory Sandhagen is eager to face Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC title after Dvalishvili’s dominant win over Sean O’Malley, while sympathizing with O’Malley’s struggles and believing in his potential to rebound.
Cory Sandhagen had his eyes on the UFC 316 rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. Why? He anticipated facing the winner in a title fight later this year.
Dvalishvili dominated O’Malley once again, controlling the first two rounds before sealing the deal with a choke in the third. Tough break for O’Malley, who’s now in a tricky spot for the bantamweight title after two losses to the champ.
Before the fight, O’Malley made big lifestyle changes to prepare for Dvalishvili. Despite his efforts, the outcome was unchanged. Sandhagen gets it.
“I feel for Sean,” Sandhagen told MMA Fighting. “He sees life as a journey, and I can relate. Changing your life hoping for better results in the ring? Yeah, been there.”
In the fight, O’Malley struggled. Aside from blocking some takedowns, his offense was lacking. Disaster hit in the third round when Dvalishvili caught him in a choke during a ground scramble.
Sandhagen was impressed by Dvalishvili’s dominance. It fueled his desire to face him in the octagon. “Sean looked off, more than last time,” Sandhagen observed. “But Merab? He’s on fire.”
Merab’s confidence is growing, and Sandhagen is eager for the challenge. “I’m the guy to beat him,” he said. “I can’t wait to finally be a f*cking world champion.”
Sandhagen’s focus is on getting a date and location for his fight with Dvalishvili. But he knows fans were excited about a potential clash with O’Malley due to their styles.
If Sandhagen beats Dvalishvili, it could reignite O’Malley’s title hopes. But can O’Malley fix past mistakes and climb the ranks again?
“I think he can,” Sandhagen said. “O’Malley’s labeled a star first, but he’s a really good fighter. Super athletic, capable of big changes.”
O’Malley talked about quitting marijuana, social media, and video games to focus on the rematch. Sandhagen thinks the real changes need to be in his training.
At his peak, O’Malley was a knockout artist. But his fights with Dvalishvili revealed weaknesses. Sandhagen expects O’Malley to address these and maybe they’ll meet again as champion and challenger.
“He needs to tweak his technical fighting style,” Sandhagen noted. “You can’t just rely on knockout power against well-rounded fighters.”
A future matchup with O’Malley is possible, but Sandhagen’s priority is the title fight with Dvalishvili. No official offer yet, but after chatting with Dvalishvili backstage, Sandhagen is optimistic.
“Merab mentioned November or December,” Sandhagen said. “That works for me. I’m confident and super excited to get my title shot.”