Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his Bantamweight title at UFC 316 with a dominant performance, defeating Sean O`Malley by submission.
Known as `The Machine`, Dvalishvili`s exceptional cardio allows him to be a relentless presence in the ring, constantly moving forward and pressuring his opponents. He showcased this style at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Saturday night, in front of an audience that included figures like US President Donald Trump and former heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson.
O`Malley, from whom Dvalishvili took the title in their previous fight at UFC 306, showed significant improvement since that loss. Although he managed to take their fight in Las Vegas the full distance, he was clearly outmatched.
Following his defeat, O`Malley acknowledged the need for difficult lifestyle changes to achieve peak physical condition for fighting.
The 30-year-old contender quit smoking and other negative habits, and also abandoned his signature brightly dyed hair. He appeared for the fight with brown, braided hair, while some of his fans wore colorful afro wigs in his honor.
In this fight, O`Malley displayed more agile movement, though Dvalishvili maintained pressure throughout. Dvalishvili won the striking exchanges and successfully achieved five takedowns, effectively utilizing his strong ground game.
In the third round, having thoroughly worn O`Malley down, Dvalishvili saw an opening and locked in a north-south choke, forcing the tap-out and retaining his 135-pound championship.
This victory brings the 34-year-old`s professional record to 20 wins and 4 losses, marking his 13th consecutive MMA win. This winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in UFC history.
Harrison Earns Title Shot Against Returning Legend Amanda Nunes
In the co-main event, Kayla Harrison defeated women`s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña by submission with just five seconds left in the second round. Having become a champion in only three UFC fights, Harrison is now poised to face Amanda Nunes in her first title defense.
Amanda Nunes, widely considered the greatest female fighter in UFC history, retired in 2023. However, she stated before the event that she would return to fight the winner of the co-main event. Former Olympic judo champion Harrison earned this opportunity with three dominant victories to start her UFC career.
Before joining the UFC last year, the 34-year-old Harrison was a two-time champion and $1 million prize winner in the Professional Fighters League lightweight division. Her rapid success in her initial UFC bouts, combined with her impressive overall MMA record of 19-1, has quickly made her a top contender for a championship fight.
“I definitely want to fight Amanda. She`s the greatest of all time,” Harrison stated. “I want to be the greatest of all time.”
Harrison challenged Nunes to enter the octagon. After commentary encouragement from Joe Rogan for security to open the cage door, Nunes entered and the two had a face-to-face encounter. Nunes, who is scheduled for induction into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, confirmed she would indeed fight Harrison for the 135-pound belt at some point. The crowd reacted strongly to the brief staredown.
“We are going to elevate women`s MMA to an entirely new level,” Harrison added.
Elsewhere on the fight card, Kevin Holland defeated Vicente Luque by submission via choke, and Joe Pyfer won his middleweight bout against Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision.
Marcus Bellamy