Sean O'Malley surprised by Marlon Vera's performance against Cory Sandhagen: 'He just laid on his back'
As impressed as Sean O'Malley was by Cory Sandhagen , he also expected more from Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 43. Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) dropped a split decision to Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in this past Saturday’s headliner in San Antonio. Vera was outstruck and taken down three times in the fight. O’Malley’s coach and co-host, Tim Welch, suggested “Chito” looked off, but O’Malley disagreed. “I think Cory just outclassed him,” O’Malley said on his Timbo Sugar Show podcast. “I do think the big cage – it’s like if you’re playing a basketball game and you’re like, ‘Well, let’s just play half-court.’ That’s pretty much the difference between the small cage and the big cage. It’s 40 percent bigger, so it’s like a different playing ground you’re playing with. I think it would have favored ‘Chito’ a lot more in the smaller cage. “I don’t think anything was wrong with ‘Chito.’ I think Cory’s that f*cking good, and that style beats ‘Chito.’ ‘Chito’s’ not very fast. He’s f*...