UFC 316 Preview
The UFC is invading the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 7th for UFC 316. The main event will be a rematch for the bantamweight title between champion Merab Dvalishili and former champion #1 Sean O’Malley.
The two fighters first battled at UFC 306 in 2024 where Dvalishili was victorious by unanimous decision ending O’Malley’s title reign. Since then Dvalishili has defended the belt successfully against Umar Nurmagomedov in January while O’Malley has not fought since losing the belt, but was granted an immediate rematch.
Pundits were outspoken against the idea of O’Malley getting a rematch without having to win a fight after losing the title. The champion is already thinking about who he will defend the belt against next. “Right now, clear contender looks like it’s Cory Sandhagen, especially [because] we never fought each other,” Dvalishvili said. “He has a good style, a good fighter. He beat a lot of good guys in this division.
“I’m sure MMA fans want to see this fight. But most important is what the UFC wants. I am champion now and whoever the UFC will give me, I will fight the next contender, the next best guy in the division.”
While it may appear that Dvalishili is looking beyond O’Malley, he believes he is going to get a better version of the former champion this time around. “He should be 70 percent better because he quit a lot of stuff,” Dvalishvili said about O’Malley. “He quit social media, he quit smoking weed and I’m sure he was more focused on wrestling, getting better knockout power. I want to test all of that. I’m ready for the best version of Sean O’Malley.”
The 34-year-old talked about how he stayed inspired for a rematch. “It’s hard to keep the same energy against the same guy, motivate myself, but this is the challenge for me,” Dvalishvili said. “Sean wants to avenge his loss, he hits hard, but I put everything into my training camp, did my best, and now I’m ready to show.
“I’m super-motivated and I believe I’m a better fighter (than the last time we fought). I have to win, but Sean always has a chance. Even though I am a better fighter than him, it’s a fight, it’s a sport, and anything is possible, which is why I have to make sure I fight hard and smart at the same time.”
Dvalishili wants to dominate the fight even more than the first showdown with O’Malley. “I want to leave no questions,” said Dvalishvili.
“Right now, at this moment, only Cory Sandhagen is a clear contender — Petr (Yan) has another fight, the other guys don’t deserve it, so Sean is the most deserving guy right now.”
“I’m gonna fight the top contender, and then after, if Cory Sandhagen wants the smoke, I will go with him,” he added. “I just want to stay busy and keep fighting.”
O’Malley won the belt at UFC 292 with a second round TKO of Aljamain Sterling and the defended the belt with a dominant five round decision in a rematch with Marlon Vera at UFC 299. The former champion talked about having a rematch to regain his the title.
“More motivated to beat Merab, for sure. I don’t think he got the best version of me,” O’Malley said.
The former champion has talked about how he was not 100% in the first fight, but does not want to make excuses. “I never felt like I was in a bad place or a sad place,” he said. “But I always felt like I could feel better. Whether it helps my performance or not, I feel better.”
O’Malley respects Dvalishili but feels he will give a much better performance this time around. “Merab’s in his prime right now,” O’Malley said. “But I don’t think he got the best version of me, so I think I can surprise him. The mindset is don’t let him touch me — if he doesn’t touch me, I win the fight.”
The 30-year-old has made it clear that what fans saw in the first fight will not happen again on Saturday. "Different fight this time," O'Malley said. "You know that.”
The co-main event of UFC 316 will be for the women’s bantamweight title as champion Julianna Pena will defend against #2 Kayla Harrison.
Pena is two-time champion who won the belt for the second time in her last fight with a split decision victory over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 in October. The 35-year-old first won the belt in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history at UFC 269 in 2021, with a second round submission over the women’s G.O.A.T Amanda Nunes. She would then lose the belt in a rematch with Nunes at UFC 277 in 2022.
Despite being the champion, Pena is coming into this fight as the underdog. Being doubted is something she has come to expect in the UFC. “I thought beating the greatest of all time was going to give me that respect and it didn’t, so you never know,” Peña said. “I say this often, but it’s so true, it’s never enough. It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s never enough. Everybody’s always going to want more from you.”
The trash talk from Pena has been heavy ever since this fight was announced and if she can emerge victorious, she could potentially be welcoming back Amanda Nunes for a trilogy match.
Harrison is 2-0 in the UFC after a successful run as a PFL champion. She has wins over former champion Holly Holm and a unanimous decision win in her last fight over Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in October.
The 34-year-old is savoring the moment of fighting for the title after only two fights in the UFC. “I’m feeling ready, grateful for this opportunity and ready to make the most of it,” Harrison said. “The goal was always to be UFC champion, and I didn’t know how long and winding of a road it would be, but we’re finally here, so I’m excited.”
Harrison talked about what led to this title shot. “I had no expectations; the goal was to be so good that they couldn’t ignore me and to get a shot. The sooner the better, but all in God’s time – God’s plan,” Harrison begins, “I believe it’s all working out how it’s supposed to.”
How does she feel heading into the biggest fight of her career? “I think it all feels like it’s coming together, I am the best I’ve ever been, my Fight IQ is the best it’s ever been, my confidence is the highest it’s ever been, my belief is on point and I’m just grateful,” Harrison shares, “I am super grateful that I get to do what I love every single day. A lot of people don’t get to say that, a lot of people clock in and clock out, but I’m literally living my dream.”
She continued, “I don’t think anyone’s leaning Julianna’s way,” Harrison expresses, “I’m prepared and there’s just no stopping me; what’s mine is mine and this is my destiny.”
The former Olympic Judo champion believes she has all the tools to defeat Pena. “I think I’m better everywhere. I think I’m bigger, faster, stronger. I think I have a wealth of experience behind me now. I think I’m a better striker, a better grappler, but she’s a fighter. She’s got heart and she’s not going to give up easily. It’s just about me going out there and instilling my will and being smart.”
How does Harrison want to win? “The goal is always a KO, TKO or submission. In a perfect world, I think that a TKO with some elbows to the (head) would sit nicely with me.”
The rest of the main card:
Joe Pyfer -400 vs. Kelvin Gastelum +310, middleweights
Patchy Mix -170 vs. Mario Bautista +140, bantamweights
Kevin Holland -280 vs. Vicente Luque +230, welterweights
ESPN+ Prelims:
Joshua Van -550 vs. Bruno Silva +400, flyweights
Azamat Murzakanov -550 vs. Brendson Ribeiro +400, light heavyweights
Serghei Spivac -140 vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta +120, heavyweights
Wang Cong -550 vs. Ariane da Silva +400, women's flyweights
Yoo Joo-sang -500 vs. Jeka Saragih +380, featherweights
Quillan Salkilld -440 vs. Yanal Ashmouz +340, lightweights
