Denied! ‘Suga’ Slams Door On ‘Sandman’ Title Shot

Sean O’Malley is already planning his first title defense.

The No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender will challenge reigning 135-pound champion Aljamain Sterling for the division strap atop the UFC 292 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston, the same event where former champion Henry Cejudo battles Marlon Vera for the right to stay alive in the bantamweight title hunt.

Shortly before that, No. 4-ranked Cory Sandhagen collides with No. 11-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC Nashville main event.

“Cory ain’t getting the f*cking title shot next,” O’Malley said on the TimbowSugaShow podcast (transcribed by MMA News). “If ‘Chito’ wins, Henry versus ‘Chito’ (winner) potentially. I’ll pick and choose after (beating Sterling).”

That might not sit well with Sandhagen, who already went on record to declare himself more deserving than “Suga” when it came to 135-pound title shots.

We also don’t know where Merab Dvalishvili fits into the equation once the No. 1-ranked “Machine” returns from injury. None of this really matters until things play out at UFC 292 and it’s worth noting that Sterling is a sizable favorite to beat O’Malley in “Beantown,” so we could have this potential rematch sooner, rather than later.

To see who else is fighting at UFC 292 and UFC Nashville click here and here.