Cory Sandhagen says fans wanted him to fight Sean O’Malley, but the matchup will not happen at UFC White House. O’Malley will face Aiemann Zahabi on June 14 in Washington, D.C.
What happened
The UFC announced Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi for the UFC White House card on June 14 in Washington, D.C. The card is headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the undisputed lightweight title.
After the announcement, O’Malley said on The Ariel Helwani Show that he never turned down a fight with Sandhagen because the UFC never offered it.
https://x.com/arielhelwani/status/2031081015461232818?s=20
Sandhagen’s response
Sandhagen pushed back on O’Malley’s explanation. He told reporters that when the UFC calls a fighter about a matchup people want to see, the fighter should ask for the opponent the fans want.
“That’s the proper response in that situation and that’s not what he gave,” Sandhagen said. He added that while O’Malley’s claim had some truth, the main disappointment was that the matchup fans wanted did not get made.
Fight offers and plans
Sandhagen revealed the UFC offered him a fight with rising bantamweight Payton Talbott. Talbott recently dominated Henry Cejudo in Cejudo’s final MMA fight at UFC 323 this past December. Sandhagen said he accepted the Talbott fight and even began preparing, but the UFC eventually chose another direction.
Sandhagen is aiming to return this summer. He hopes to fight during International Fight Week and said he plans to fight about twice a year for the next few years before retiring.
Card context and recent results
Both Sandhagen and O’Malley lost title fights to then-champion Merab Dvalishvili in 2025. Sandhagen lost a decision at UFC 320 in October. The Topuria vs. Gaethje main event will be for the undisputed lightweight title on the same UFC White House card.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Cory Sandhagen | Lost a decision to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 320 (October 2025) |
| Sean O’Malley | Suffered a title-fight loss to Merab Dvalishvili in 2025 |
| Payton Talbott | Dominated Henry Cejudo at UFC 323 (December) |
| Aiemann Zahabi | Set to face Sean O’Malley at UFC White House on June 14 in Washington, D.C. |
Sandhagen said he is ready to keep fighting and wants fans to see the matchups they ask for. For now, fans will have to wait and see if the UFC ever pairs Sandhagen and O’Malley in the cage.
