Cory Sandhagen paid close attention to the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley rematch at UFC 316, as he anticipated fighting the victor for the title later in the year.
Dvalishvili defeated O’Malley again, showing even greater dominance by controlling the first two rounds before securing a submission choke in the third. This was a difficult setback for O’Malley, a major UFC star, who now faces uncertainty in the bantamweight title picture after losing twice to the current champion.
O’Malley had spoken before the fight about making significant lifestyle adjustments to prepare for Dvalishvili, but the outcome didn`t change. Sandhagen expressed sympathy regarding this.
“I feel for Sean somewhat,” Sandhagen stated in an interview. “Sean views life like a journey, which I strongly relate to. I understand the feeling of making major personal changes, hoping they`ll improve your fighting and lead to a positive result. It`s tough when things don`t always turn out that way. So, yes, I sympathize with him.”
Analyzing the fight itself, Sandhagen commented that O’Malley clearly struggled. Apart from defending some of Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts, O`Malley generated little offense.
Trouble came in the third round when O’Malley was caught in a ground scramble, allowing Dvalishvili to secure the fight-ending choke. Dvalishvili’s performance impressed Sandhagen and further motivated him for their potential future matchup.
“During the fight, Sean seemed somewhat off, perhaps even more so than in their previous encounter,” Sandhagen observed. “I’m unsure why. Merab, however, looked excellent. I believe Merab is gaining significant momentum.”
“His confidence appears to be growing with every fight, and I’m eager to take on that challenge,” he added. “I believe I have what it takes to defeat him. I’m just really looking forward to finally becoming a world champion.”
Currently, Sandhagen is focused solely on confirming the date and location for his fight against Dvalishvili, aiming to achieve his dream of competing for a UFC title. However, he acknowledges the fan interest in a potential bout between himself and O’Malley, due to their complementary styles.
If Sandhagen defeats Dvalishvili and becomes champion, it could revitalize O’Malley’s path back to title contention. But the question remains: can O’Malley learn from his losses and work his way back up?
“I believe he can,” Sandhagen replied. “O’Malley is often seen as a star first, and a fighter second. But I think he’s genuinely a very good fighter. He’s also incredibly athletic, which provides the capability to make significant improvements to his technique and approach.”
“Making changes can be difficult if you don’t learn quickly. However, Sean possesses that ability, largely because of his athleticism, so yes, I think he’s capable of it.”
While O’Malley publicly discussed giving up habits like marijuana, social media, and video games to focus on the rematch, Sandhagen feels the more critical changes needed are in his technical training and fight preparation.
In his prime, O’Malley was a precise striker with significant knockout power, but his two bouts against Dvalishvili highlighted weaknesses in his skillset. Sandhagen anticipates O’Malley will work on these areas, potentially leading to a future encounter between them for the title.
“He needs to adjust some technical aspects of his fighting, rather than just his personal habits,” Sandhagen stated. “He needs to be able to handle grappling exchanges with fighters who are strong in that area.”
“For a while, he succeeded primarily by landing single-strike knockouts,” he added. “Now he’s competing against genuinely well-rounded, top-tier fighters, and you simply can`t rely on just one skill anymore.”
Although a fight with O’Malley could happen eventually, Sandhagen`s immediate focus is solely on his upcoming title opportunity against Dvalishvili. While he hasn`t received an official UFC contract yet, a conversation with Dvalishvili backstage after his recent victory gives Sandhagen confidence the fight will happen soon.
“Merab mentioned aiming for sometime in November or December,” Sandhagen noted. “That timeline works for me as well. These things take a little time to finalize, but I feel quite confident and good about it. I’m incredibly excited to finally get my shot at the title.”
