That’s according to Henry Cejudo.
Is Sean O’Malley the biggest star in bantamweight history? Or a one-hit wonder unable to move any pay-per-view units?
That depends on who you ask.
“Suga” is expecting to rematch Merab Dvalishvili for the 135-pound title after losing his crown to “The Machine” at UFC 306 last fall in Las Vegas. But former division champion, Henry Cejudo, suggested a less “stupid” option for UFC matchmakers.
“I think that’s stupid,” Cejudo told Home of Fight. “It’s not like O’Malley is a pay-per-view king. His fights don’t do sh*t, man. I think the person that they should give him is (Cory) Sandhagen. That fight with Sandhagen makes a lot of sense. Sandhagen could potentially beat him. Sandhagen is tricky. I still think Merab beats him, but he has the tools to really shut out Merab’s freaking lights. That’s the cool thing about it.”
Sandhagen (17-5), currently ranked No. 4 at 135 pounds, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi last August and will likely need another big win before securing his shot at the division title, currently held by Dvalishvili.
Especially with this former champion lurking in the shadows.
As for Cejudo (16-4), he’ll look to rebound from his Dvalishvili loss when he collides with bantamweight bruiser Song Yadong (21-8-1, 1 NC) atop the UFC Seattle card this weekend in “The Emerald City.” Cejudo is ranked one spot above “The Kung Fu Kid” at No. 7.
To see who else is fighting at UFC Seattle click here.