Merab Dvalishvili easily defeated Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 316 on Saturday night in Newark, securing a third-round modified choke in their rematch to retain the bantamweight championship.
With US President Donald Trump watching from cageside, Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA) emphatically employed his wrestling base to tire out the former champion and make an argument as one of the sport's best bantamweights, perhaps of all time.
Dvalishvili, who won at 4:42 of the third round for his 13th consecutive victory, said he would welcome his next title defence to be against Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA), a winner of four of his last five fights.
“You're the man, let's go,” Dvalishvili said, indicating that he would be interested in fighting Sandhagen next.
O'Malley (18-3 MMA) fell to Dvalishvili last September by unanimous decision, relinquishing his title. O'Malley described the loss as a minor setback, insisting on a swift return to action.
“100 per cent, thank you guys for coming out,” O'Malley said when asked if he would be back.
The women's bantamweight title changed hands in the co-main event, as Kayla Harrison submitted Julianna Pena with a second-round kimura.
Harrison and Pena embraced in the Octagon afterwards, showing utmost class and respect for one another after Harrison controlled every aspect of the fight. Harrison said during her post-fight interview that her weight cut was so draining on Thursday night that she “wanted to quit” but it would have been a mistake in her eyes, given that most fighters in MMA don't win a UFC title.
Harrison (19-1 MMA) called out Pena's (13-6 MMA) former rival, Amanda Nunes. Nunes (23-5 MMA) is a former two-division champion who retired in 2023. As time passed, she has teased a comeback. It now seems inevitable, as Harrison and Nunes posed for a face-off and talked of a bout later this year.
Middleweight Joe Pyfer made good on his UFC return, defeating Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-27, 30-27. Pyfer (14-3 MMA) has won his last two outings, whereas Gastelum (19-10 MMA) is in the midst of a slump.
The soon-to-be UFC Hall of Fame “Fight Wing” inductee and ex-interim middleweight title challenger, Gastelum has yet to win back-to-back fights in six years. His last win came in June 2024, defeating Daniel Rodriguez (19-5 MMA) by unanimous decision.
Bantamweight Mario Bautista shut down the UFC debut of Patchy Mix, winning a one-sided unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27, 30-27. The fight was fought primarily up on the feet, as Bautista (16-2 MMA) won his eighth bout in a row, while Mix (20-2 MMA) was presumed to be a possible title challenger upon entry into the promotion. The former Bellator champion looks set for a rethink after this setback.
Kevin Holland kicked off the UFC 316 main card in style, securing a D'Arce choke over Vicente Luque at 1:03 of the second round. Holland (28-13 MMA) has now won three of his last five, emphasising his case to remain a prominent welterweight contender. Luque (23-11-1 MMA) has now lost two of his last three.
