1 day Ago By Curtis Calhoun
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will face Sean O’Malley in a UFC 316 rematch.Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley will battle for the second time in less than a year as they headline UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey.UFC CEO Dana White announced the UFC 316 main event in an Instagram live session on Tuesday.
The full UFC 316 card for the June 7th pay-per-view is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.Dvalishvili last defended the UFC bantamweight title against the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January, winning by unanimous decision. For his second title defense, Dvalishvili will look to close the book on his rivalry with O’Malley after winning the belt at UFC 306 last September.
READ MORE: Eddie Hall rubbishes Misfits Boxing’s claim of MMA fight with controversial starPhoto by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCMerab Dvalishvili set to rematch Sean O’Malley less than a year after bantamweight title clashO’Malley will look to avenge his long career defeat against Dvalishvili after the latter stopped his bantamweight title reign. Before the loss to Dvalishvili, O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the belt, before successfully defending it against Marlon Vera at UFC 299.O’Malley will face a confident, reformed Dvalishvili after their last fight at UFC 306.
Entering UFC 311 as an underdog against Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili put on arguably the best performance of his career, overwhelming Nurmagomedov with volume and pace on the feet and ground.O’Malley opted to take a long hiatus after the loss to Dvalishvili, undergoing surgery on his hip just days after the fight. While O’Malley initially took the loss in stride, he claimed robbery just weeks after UFC 306, adamant that he deserved the nod on the judges’ scorecards to retain the title.
O’Malley will look for revenge against Dvalishvili in a rare, immediate rematch following a lengthy break. After Dvalishvili had success with his wrestling in their first fight, O’Malley will look to showcase the improvements he’s made behind closed doors.READ MORE: Conor McGregor celebrates BKFC signing UFC title challenger with ‘big bare fists and magnificent musculature’Julianna Peña vs.
Kayla Harrison booked for UFC 316 co-main eventDvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 isn’t the only top-tier fight to look forward to at UFC 316.In the same announcement referenced above, White shared the booking of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña against former PFL titleholder Kayla Harrison for the UFC 316 co-main event.
Pena won the UFC bantamweight title by defeating Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 last October by split decision.There’s a lot of heat associated with the UFC 316 co-main. Pena has repeatedly accused Harrison of doping throughout her combat sports career, and alleged that Harrison and other American Top Team members used to inject steroids in the gym during her brief time with the gym.
Harrison is 2-0 in the UFC bantamweight division after a long, decorated tenure in the PFL, which included multiple championships. She most recently defeated Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, after finishing Holly Holm in her promotional debut at UFC 300.UFC 316 marks the promotion’s quick turnaround to Newark, New Jersey after hosting a pay-per-view card last June, featuring Islam Makhachev vs.
Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.READ MORE: UFC fans got a terrible April Fool’s surprise after doomed lightweight showdown canceled on days’ notice.
