Cory Sandhagen reacts to Sean O’Malley likely getting next UFC title shot: “I just wanted to fight him”

Cory Sandhagen has no issue with Sean O’Malley getting the next UFC bantamweight title shot.

‘The Sandman’ recently booked his return to the octagon for May in Des Moines. Last suffering a unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov in August, the bantamweight contender will meet former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo next. For his part. ‘Deus da Guerra’ is fresh off a lopsided decision loss to Petr Yan in November. That defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak for the Brazilian.

While a fun matchup, it’s not the one Cory Sandhagen hoped to recieve. Earlier this year, the UFC bantamweight contender released an uncharacteristic callout video of former champion Sean O’Malley. At the time, ‘Sugar’ was fresh off his loss to Merab Dvalishvili, and unbooked. That defeat to ‘The Machine’ famously ended the striker’s time with bantamweight gold last September.

However, Cory Sandhagen’s callout fell on deaf ears. At the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference last month, Dana White signaled that Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili 2 is expected for the bantamweight title next. While many would likely be frustrated in his position, ‘The Sandman’ has no anger. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier today, Sandhagen discussed his return and the current title picture.

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“I’m not going to hate on Sean for getting his rematch, but I just want to fight him because I want to fight some of the best guys in the world.

I don’t really waste my time being super annoyed or mad about the way that I know that it works… I get the luxury of always saying… pic.twitter.com/VYfUKa6Gv0

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 19, 2025

Cory Sandhagen reacts to Dana White’s comments about Sean O’Malley receiving next UFC title shot

During the interview, Cory Sandhagen revealed that he approached UFC matchmakers about making a bout with Sean O’Malley happen, and was quickly turned down. That being said ‘The Sandman’ isn’t going to hate on ‘Sugar’ getting a title shot next. At this stage of his career, Sandhagen isn’t going to stress himself out about the situation, he just wants to fight the best in the world. He’s in no rush.

“No, [a fight against Sean O’Malley was never on the table].” Cory Sandhagen stated earlier today. “I threw it out to them, ‘Like hey guys, I really want to fight Sean, could we please do that?’ They said ‘No, it’s not going to be Sean next’. Like, okay, that’s fair, I understand. Me and O’Malley would just be a really big fight whenever it happen. I think O’Malley gets a rematch [because] he’s one of the UFC’s big stars and he’s worked really hard to do that.”

He continued, “…I’m not going to hate on Sean for getting his rematch, but I just want to fight him because I want to fight some of the best guys in the world. I don’t really waste my time being super mad or annoyed about the way that I know it works… I literally just wanted to be the best in the world at fighting.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC bantamweight? Do you want to see Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili?