Cory Sandhagen isn’t treating his UFC 329 showdown with Mario Bautista like a rematch, even if his opponent might be.
Sandhagen discussed Bautista’s motivation, why he expected the UFC to make the matchup, and why a long-awaited fight with Sean O’Malley remains one of the biggest bouts the division has to offer.
“Outside of Mario I know having a chip on his shoulder and him probably really wanting this one which has been something in my mind the entire time that I’ve been training, it doesn’t really feel like a rematch,” Sandhagen told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“My memory is about a month long so anything that happened more than like a month ago might as well have been lifetimes ago. I also didn’t lose so he definitely has a chip on his shoulder. He probably thought about that fight way more than I did in this one which could benefit him, but also could not.”
Sandhagen wasn’t surprised when the UFC paired him with Bautista for UFC 329. Once the rest of the bantamweight division began falling into place, he felt the matchup was the obvious choice.
“I knew when O’Malley (Aiemann) Zahabi got announced that they were going to do me and Mario just because at the time there was no one else booked. That’s the fight that made the most sense,” he said.
“I also think Mario’s like proven himself in the sport really well so he definitely gets a shot at one of the top guys. I saw it coming once those fights got announced.”
Sandhagen has made no secret of the fact that a matchup with O’Malley is one of the biggest fights available in the bantamweight division. While he’s open to facing anyone near the top of the rankings, he believes that’s the matchup fans want to see most.
“That’s just the fight that the fans want to see the most. Outside that it’s just a talking point that I have to have an opinion about. If Sean ever fights me, or doesn’t…I want to fight him because I think he’s good and I think he’s one of the top guys,” said Sandhagen.
“It’s the fight that the fans are asking for the most. That’s why I want it.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Cory Sandhagen above. He faces Mario Bautista at UFC 329 on Saturday night.
