Cory Sandhagen foresees a protracted night time for each Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
The 2 prime bantamweights are anticipated to collide someday in 2024 with O’Malley’s UFC title on the road. O’Malley is unbeaten over his previous seven bouts and just lately punctuated a title-winning knockout of Aljamain Sterling together with his first belt protection in opposition to Marlon Vera. Dvalishvili, then again, has gained a division-best 10 straight UFC bouts and is already put in because the betting favourite within the potential matchup regardless of being the challenger.
Sandhagen can be a prime contender in UFC’s bantamweight division and will probably be holding a detailed eye on the title to see who emerges with it wrapped round their waist.
He broke down the matchup on a latest episode of The MMA Hour.
“It’s going to be a hell of a combat for the each of them, to be sincere,” Sandhagen stated. “I undoubtedly know that Merab’s greatest situation in preventing is clearing that hole. He isn’t the quickest man on the earth. He doesn’t have a construct that clears the hole very well. He form of will get folks drained after which that hole turns into so much simpler to shut. However O’Malley is among the finest at hitting folks in that void and in that house in between me and also you.
“It’s going to be a extremely difficult combat for the each of them, as a result of normally you say in a combat it’s both going to go one man’s manner or the opposite man’s manner. However I feel on this one, it’s going to be a battle, backwards and forwards, and each of those guys [will be] getting what they need. I feel that Sean will certainly have the ability to crack him when he clears that void.
“If Merab can eat it or get well or no matter, I feel that he can run his recreation plan,” Sandhagen continued, “After which that may occur once more, after which Merab will run his recreation plan, after which that may occur once more. I feel that they each have very particular methods to win this combat, and I feel it’s going to be a hell of a combat for the each of them. However Merab additionally has proven to be somewhat bit chinny in these spots, and Sean undoubtedly hits onerous as shit.”
Sandhagen, 32, has his personal enterprise to take care of as properly.
At the moment ranked No. 4 in MMA Preventing’s international bantamweight rankings, Sandhagen is probably going one win away from difficult for UFC gold. He appears to take that subsequent step on Aug. 3 when he faces Umar Nurmagomedov in the primary occasion of UFC Abu Dhabi. Sandhagen instructed MMA Preventing that UFC officers already knowledgeable him that he’s prone to earn a title shot with a win.
Due to that, Sandhagen has a vested curiosity in O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili — and there’s one consequence he clearly prefers over the opposite.
“We’re rooting for Sean O’Malley. We would like O’Malley to win,” Sandhagen stated. “So long as he’s not going to go off and do some silly boxing combat with that man, or so long as he’s not going to attempt to go as much as 145. Don’t do this, Sean. Simply keep within the division, attempt to clear us all out in case you can. However don’t begin doing all that stuff, man. To me, once more, I’ll be actual candid, I feel that there’s a tactic with some folks that they take the place they go high-risk, high-reward fights. Nobody desires to take high-risk, low-reward fights. And you can also make the argument that in case you go up a weight class and combat Ilia [Topuria], that’s a really powerful combat, in fact. It’s equally as powerful if not harder than anybody on this division as properly, to be sincere.
“However what do you lose? You don’t actually lose something apart from getting your ass whooped, which, we’re all fighters and we’re very used to getting our asses whooped the entire time. So that you make a giant paycheck, you get to come back again to your weight class, and then you definately get to be like, ‘Thumbs up, I’m nonetheless the champ at this at the least.’ Then identical factor in boxing. For those who go to boxing and also you lose a combat in a sport that you simply don’t even take part in, there’s no loss in any of that aside from getting your ass whooped, which once more, none of us are afraid of. So I disagree with it as a result of it might favor me extra if he caught round and I bought to combat him.”
O’Malley’s wandering eye for different pursuits exterior of the bantamweight division might not be the one hurdle that would stand in Sandhagen’s manner.
UFC Corridor of Famer and former champ Jose Aldo all of a sudden thrust himself into the 135-pound combine with a classic win at UFC 301 following a two-year retirement. Aldo is at present a free agent and undecided on his UFC future, nonetheless he expressed curiosity in short-cutting to the entrance of the road to problem for the UFC bantamweight title.
“No manner, man,” Sandhagen stated concerning the thought. “I really like Aldo. Aldo’s absolutely the man. However you don’t get to come back again from retirement after which beat a man manner down within the rankings after which simply combat for the belt. Like, I really like Aldo, however undoubtedly not. There’s too many good guys within the division for that to be the case.”