Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his Bantamweight title at UFC 316, defeating Sean O`Malley via submission in a dominant performance.
Aptly nicknamed `The Machine` for his exceptional cardio, Dvalishvili proved an irrepressible force inside the octagon. He fought predominantly on the front foot, constantly moving forward and pursuing his opponent. This was evident at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Saturday night, in front of a crowd that included US President Donald Trump and retired heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson.
O`Malley, from whom Dvalishvili took the title in their last encounter at UFC 306, showed significant improvement since that defeat at The Sphere. Although he took the fight the distance in Las Vegas last time, he was comprehensively outclassed.
O`Malley realized after the previous loss that reaching his peak as a fighter required difficult lifestyle sacrifices. The 30-year-old contender quit smoking among other bad habits and also abandoned his trademark dyed hair. Gone were the dazzling colors; O`Malley sported brown, braided hair for the fight, while his fans wore bright afro wigs in his honor.
This time, O`Malley moved more dynamically despite being largely on the defensive throughout. However, Dvalishvili controlled the striking exchanges and managed to secure five takedowns, areas where he performs his best work.
In the third round, having been comprehensively worn down, O`Malley left himself vulnerable to the north-south choke. Dvalishvili seized this opportunity to force the tap and retain his 135-pound belt.
This victory improves the 34-year-old`s record to 20-4 and marks his 13th consecutive MMA win, a streak tied for the fourth longest in UFC history.
Harrison Earns Shot at Amanda Nunes as Legend Set for Return
In the co-main event, Kayla Harrison defeated women`s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña, forcing a tap with five seconds left in the second round.
Now, after becoming champion in just three UFC fights, Harrison is set to face Amanda Nunes in her first title defense. Nunes, who retired in 2023 and is widely regarded as the greatest women`s UFC fighter of all time, had stated before the fight that she would return to face the winner. Former Olympic judo champion Harrison earned this opportunity with three dominant victories to begin her UFC career.
Before joining the UFC last year, the 34-year-old was a two-time winner of the $1 million prize in the Professional Fighters League lightweight championship division. Her impressive overall MMA record, now a dominant 19-1, combined with her rapid success, has made her an immediate top contender for a title shot.
“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 called out Nunes after her win. Following encouragement from announcer Joe Rogan for security to open the cage door, Nunes entered and the two had a face-to-face encounter. Nunes, set for induction into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, confirmed that she would indeed fight Harrison at some point for the 135-pound belt. The crowd reacted enthusiastically as the two engaged in a brief staredown.
“We`re going to bring women`s MMA to a whole new level,” Harrison added.
Elsewhere on the card, UFC fighter Kevin Holland secured a submission victory over Vicente Luque, and Joe Pyfer defeated Kelvin Gastelum in a middleweight bout by unanimous decision.
