"They've been asking to see that fight for a really long time" - Top UFC bantamweight lays out plan to face Sean O'Malley for bantamweight title

Sean O'Malley was able to defend the bantamweight title for the first time last month as he defeated Marlon 'Chito' Vera via a dominant unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 299. While Merab Dvalishvili appears next in line to challenge 'Suga' for the title, he is not the only bantamweight contender with his eyes on the champ.

Cory Sandhagen recently laid out his plan to get a title opportunity, while expressing his hope that O'Malley is still atop the division. During a recent appearance on The Schmozone, 'The Sandman' discussed facing Umar Nurmagomedov, stating:

"He's a good fighter, too. He comes from a really good team. He's been around champions for a really long time and that kind of goes a long way - you get to see how those guys act and think. I'm excited if that is the next one. It, in my head, is. I'm just kind of waiting on the date. I know that they want it to be a five rounder so I don't think it's going to happen at International Fight Week because we want to headline that show."

The No.3-ranked bantamweight continued:

"That's my man and I'm going to go out and I'm going to fight my a** off against Umar, build up some hype going into this fight. Hopefully O'Malley wins because I know that people want to see me and O'Malley fight. They've been asking to see that fight for a really long time. I'm going to do my d**nedest to go out there and beat Umar real well and build up as much hype for this title fight, hopefully against O'Malley sometime early next year."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments on his path to Sean O'Malley below:

Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov were originally set to clash at UFC on ESPN 50 last August, however, 'Young Eagle' was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a shoulder injury. Instead, 'The Sandman' faced Rob Font, winning via a dominant unanimous decision despite tearing his triceps in the first round.

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Sean O'Malley drops hint regarding return to the octagon

While Sean O'Malley previously claimed that his return to the octagon won't come until 2025, that may not be the case. 'Suga' took to X on Monday with a one-word tweet hinting that he could defend his title much sooner than that, stating:

"Sugtember"

Check out Sean O'Malley's tweet below:

While the bout has not been made official, O'Malley appears set to face Merab Dvalishvili in his return to the octagon. The No.1-ranked bantamweight is riding a 10-fight win streak and has been angling for the opportunity to face 'Suga' for several years.