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Cory Sandhagen believes it might not be easy for Sean O'Malley to consistently dominate fights once he faces the top-10 contenders in the division.
Speaking to MMA journalist James Lynch on the Combat Sports on Fanatics View YouTube channel, Sandhagen expressed his respect for Sean O'Malley. However, he insisted that 'Sugar' must be extremely careful when facing the top bantamweight contenders.
"I think he is super impressive. He's definitely like legit. There's no question about that. I definitely think that he's of top-10 calibre. O'Malley has been able to punk a lot of his past opponents. But I also think that as you get higher in the ranks, people aren't just gonna let you punk them," said Sandhagen.
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Sandhagen will face former bantamweight champion Petr Yan in a fight for the interim belt at UFC 267 this month. He replaced injured titleholder Aljamain Sterling after 'Funk Master' wasn't cleared to step into the octagon due to neck issues.
O'Malley claimed a couple of third-round finishes in 2021 - against Thomas Almeida at UFC 260 in March and Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 in July.
Sean O'Malley will take on Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 in December
Sean O'Malley's next fight will be with No.15-ranked bantamweight contender Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 in December.
O'Malley was initially rumored to face the unranked Brian Kelleher next. However, 'Sugar' has now sealed a slightly higher-profile encounter. A victory would propel him into the top-15 in the bantamweight rankings.
O'Malley was also offered a contest against the No.8-ranked star in the division and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 268. But he refused that bout, saying he didn't want to fight in New York.
Sean O'Malley holds a career win-loss record of 14-1. He's won two 'Fight of the Night' and three 'Performance of the Night' bonuses in seven UFC bouts so far.
His only loss in the world's biggest MMA promotion came against No.13- ranked bantamweight contender Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020.
