Cory Sandhagen delivers reality check on Sean O’Malley’s “one-trick pony” fighting style

Cory Sandhagen has criticized Sean O'Malley's fighting style, labeling him a "one-trick pony."

O'Malley suffered his second consecutive defeat against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316, as he got submitted in Round 3 of their bantamweight headliner. He has now stated that he intends to face other top contenders before eventually working his way back up to the fight against Dvalishvili.

Sandhagen is expected to face 'The Machine' for the bantamweight championship next. He secured a stoppage victory against former flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo and believes that he possesses the skill set to upset Dvalishvili.

'The Sandman' recently appeared in an online interview with MMA Fighting, where he criticized O'Malley’s skill set, claiming he relies too heavily on one-punch knockout power and now struggles against well-rounded, elite contenders. He said:

"O'Malley gets labeled as a star first before he gets labeled as a good fighter. He has to change a few things, not in his personal life but in his actual fighting style. He got away for a long time, just being able to one-shot knock people out, and now he's facing some real well-rounded fighters — and you just can't be a one-trick pony anymore."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments below:

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Merab Dvalishvili weighs in on potential clash against Cory Sandhagen

Merab Dvalishvili has discussed his potential upcoming matchup against Cory Sandhagen

Dvalishvili appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he heaped praise on 'The Sandman,' labeling him "the most deserving contender," and admitting that he will be a testing opponent. He said:

"I also told him he's the most deserving contender today, especially [because] we never fought each other and he always was [a] company guy. And he was always fighting the best guys. He beat a lot of good guys like Song Yadong, [Marlon] 'Chito' Vera, close fight with [Petr] Yan."

'The Machine' added:

"He's a new style. We've never fought each other and we know there is no MMA math. The style makes the fight and Cory Sandhagen, he's a different style. We've never fought each other. It will be a test for me."

Check out the post below: