Potential Matchups Spark Debate: Nurmagomedov vs. O’Malley, Sandhagen vs. Merab originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
UFC 316 saw the continuation of a dominant title reign for Merab Dvalishvili, who dispatched of the challenger and former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley with a rare north-south Ezekiel choke. With his first finish since 2021, Dvalishvili is undoubtedly the king of the division. Now that the dust has settled, the division is ripe for new potential matchups that will bring fireworks to the deepest division in the UFC.
The UFC bantamweight division is heating up, and former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has weighed in on the brewing debates.
On The Mighty Guru show, the MMA legend laid out his ideal scenarios for the 135-pound title picture, emphasizing the need for fresh contenders and solid matchmaking.
“You can do Umar [Nurmagomedov] versus Sean O’Malley when Sean’s ready to come back; that’ll be a banger fight,” Johnson said, highlighting the fan-friendly potential of a clash between the rising Dagestani star and the flashy former champ.
Both O’Malley and Nurmagomedov are coming off of failed title challenges against the current reigning champion, so a match between these two could rebuild both of their resumes with a high-profile win, keeping them around the top of the rankings.
With O’Malley now on a two-fight skid, Johnson’s suggestion of booking him against Umar would allow Cory Sandhagen to step into a title eliminator or even a direct shot at Merab
When bringing up Sandhagen, Johnson questioned the UFC’s recent tendency to grant title shots off losses, arguing, “Why not just give Merab vs. Cory? Have Umar fight Sean or Umar fight somebody else to let those guys [earn it]… stop giving title fights off of a loss, how about that?”
Sandhagen, who recently rebounded with a technical submission win over former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, has long been a top contender with a stellar resume but has yet to challenge for the undisputed belt.
Sandhagen’s case for a title shot is bolstered by his recent performances, including wins over Rob Font and Marlon “Chito” Vera. Despite a close loss to Umar in a title eliminator last year, “The Sandman” has consistently faced the division’s toughest competition.
Merab, for his part, seems open to all challenges. After his latest title defense at UFC 316, he called out Sandhagen as the most deserving contender.
“He’s a new style and we know there is no MMA math,” said Dvalishvili in an interview with Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. “The style makes the fight, and Cory, he’s a different style. It will be a test for me.”
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
