MMA Knockout

'Quit Acting Like a Troll,' UFC Dark Horse Calls out Sean O'Malley

Perennial bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen sets his sights on Sean O'Malley.

Mathew Riddle

Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

'Suga' Sean O'Malley decisively lost his bantamweight title at UFC 306, and now the contenders of the division are nipping at his heels to steal the limelight.

O'Malley has been demanding a rematch with Merab Dvalishvili but looks to be postponed until early 2025 after undergoing surgery on his hip. In the meantime, Dvalishvili could be looking at facing Umar Nurmagomedov, who is coming from a competitive decision win over Cory Sandhagen in August.

Cory Sandhagen
Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Sandhagen, however, doesn't think O'Malley should be sidelined until Dvalishvili defends his title. In fact, he believes a fight with O'Malley makes perfect sense instead of the rematch.

Sandhagen Wants O'Malley

During an interview with The Schmo on October 6, Sandhagen laid out his plans to fight O'Malley.

"Everyone wants to see me and O'Malley fight," Sandhagen remarked. " ... Me and O'Malley is like the biggest fight that you could maybe make right now in the division outside of the title fight, maybe even in the UFC it's one of the best fights that the UFC can make.

"O'Malley I wish would just quit acting like a troll, like he won the last fight. He got dominated. And... fight me! What are you doing?"

Sandhagen's callout follows on from comments he made in September after O'Malley's title loss.

"O’Malley, time to give the people what they want," Sandhagen wrote. "I don’t promise to not kiss you."

O'Malley and Sandhagen have been circling each other in the bantamweight rankings for a while, only the circumstances never seemed right. Until now.

Read More UFC & MMA News


Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing, WWE, and AEW. Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published
Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

Home/News