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 lower than a 12 months as they headline UFC 316 in Newark, Recent Jersey.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the UFC 316 major event in an Instagram live session on Tuesday. The total UFC 316 card for the June seventh pay-per-view is predicted to be finalized in the approaching 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 shut the book on his rivalry with O’Malley after winning the belt at UFC 306 last September.
Merab Dvalishvili set to rematch Sean O’Malley lower than a 12 months after bantamweight title clash
O’Malley will look to avenge his long profession 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 placed on arguably the very best performance of his profession, overwhelming Nurmagomedov with volume and pace on the feet and ground.
O’Malley opted to take a protracted 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 search for revenge against Dvalishvili in a rare, immediate rematch following a lengthy break. After Dvalishvili had success along with his wrestling of their first fight, O’Malley will look to showcase the improvements he’s made behind closed doors.
Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison booked for UFC 316 co-main event
Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 isn’t the one top-tier fight to sit up for at UFC 316.
In the identical 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 numerous heat related to the UFC 316 co-main. Pena has repeatedly accused Harrison of doping throughout her combat sports profession, and alleged that Harrison and other American Top Team members used to inject steroids within the gym during her temporary time with the gym.
Harrison is 2-0 within the UFC bantamweight division after a protracted, decorated tenure within the PFL, which included multiple championships. She most recently defeated Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, after ending Holly Holm in her promotional debut at UFC 300.
UFC 316 marks the promotion’s quick turnaround to Newark, Recent Jersey after hosting a pay-per-view card last June, featuring Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
