"Two guys playing a really positional game" - Cory Sandhagen claims Marlon Vera won't repeat Aljamain Sterling's mistakes against Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley is set to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299 in March.

'Sugar' won the title in epic fashion after knocking out long-reigning champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 and snapped the nine-fight winning streak of 'Funk Master'.

Cory Sandhagen, one of the division's most elite fighters right now, recently broke down the clash between O'Malley and Vera. The No.4-ranked bantamweight contender believes that the styles of both fighters will make for an awkward fight.

O'Malley is one of the division's best counter-strikers and used his slick pull-counter to knock out Sterling to win the title. But 'Chito' is known for taking little damage on the feet due to his well-rounded defense, which could provide 'Sugar' with a tough challenge, according to Sandhagen.

'The Sandman' was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he said this:

"O'Malley needs a certain type of response in his opponent in order to look good... He needs you to make a mistake in order for him to capitalize on it... Take Sterling for example, Sterling made a silly mistake."

He continued:

"But 'Chito' doesn't do any of those things. 'Chito' protects himself really well, he's kind of a defense-orientated guy... I don't think that 'Chito' is going to just march forward and make a giant mistake that Sean O'Malley is going to be able to capitalize on... In my head I kind see it like it could be a soccer match, where it's two guys playing a really positional game."

Listen to Cory Sandhagen's breakdown below (9:35):

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Aljamain Sterling admits hindsight made him realize he shouldn't have fought Sean O'Malley at UFC 292

Aljamain Sterling's defeat to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 has provided the former bantamweight king with plenty of time to think about his title reign and how it came to an end.

Roughly three months before 'Funk Master' faced off against O'Malley, he successfully defended his title against Henry Cejudo in an epic five-round battle at UFC 288.

Sterling has now reflected on his decision to accept a matchup with 'Sugar', and appears somewhat regretful about his choice. During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he said this:

"I just being told, 'This is gonna be your biggest payday.'... Maybe this is the one I can't afford to miss because it sets me up for life. So in hindsight, I would have never accepted the fight and given my body the time to recover."

Listen to Sterling's comments about fighting Sean O'Malley below (10:55):