Sean O'Malley reacts to bantamweight contender claiming he deserves title shot ahead of 'Sugar'

Sean O'Malley appears to be in line to receive the first title opportunity of his career in his next bout. The No.1-ranked bantamweight recently reacted to comments from Cory Sandhagen in which he shared that he believes he is more deserving of a title shot than O'Malley.

Speaking to James Lynch of MiddleEasy, Sandhagen stated:

"O’Malley doesn’t have a contract yet. I think I go out and I do really well against ‘Chito’, I could see me and Sean fighting right afterward, depending on what happens between Sterling and Cejudo, but that’s the fight that I’ll be asking for. Sean fought a bunch of, not the highest-quality of opponents and then barely beat a guy in a three-round fight. I don’t think really that should get you a title shot."

O'Malley caught wind of Sandhagen's comments and replied simply with three emojis, stating:

"🤣🤣🤣"

It is unclear if O'Malley would be open to facing the winner of the February bout between Sandhagen and Marlon 'Chito' Vera. With the No.1-ranked bantamweight seemingly assured of a title opportunity in his next fight, he may be unwilling to take the risk.

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments (starting at the 15:10 mark) and Sean O'Malley's reaction below:

@bjpenndotcom 🤣🤣🤣

Sean O'Malley shares one disadvantage Cory Sandhagen may face against Marlon 'Chito' Vera

Cory Sandhagen and Marlon 'Chito' Vera are set to clash in a bantamweight bout that should be filled with action. Sean O'Malley recently shared one disadvantage that he believes Sandhagen will face.

🚨 BANGER ALERT 🚨

@ChitoVeraUFC and @CorySandhagen will be taking center stage Saturday, Feb. 18th! https://t.co/aFiJ56FUrq

Speaking on his podcast, TimboSugarShow, O'Malley stated:

"The only difference is the cage, the small cage. The reason - the [UFC] Apex doesn't have a big cage and it makes zero sense. The big cage is what, 40 percent bigger than the small cage? Like, quite a bit, significantly bigger. That plays a role... I think it gives Chito [Vera] a pretty big advantage. I don't know if advantage is the right word, but a disadvantage rather for Cory [Sandhagen]."

O'Malley's co-host and coach Tim Welch shared that the UFC Apex has a 22-foot cage. The bout between Sandhagen and Vera is likely to have title ramifications as both fighters are in the top-five of the division rankings. O'Malley shared that he would like to see 'Chito' win so he can attempt to avenge his only career loss.

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss Cory Sandhagen's disadvantage against Marlon 'Chito' Vera below (starting at the 9:10 mark):