Kristina Roberts
The main event of UFC 316 was nothing short of thrilling as Merab Dvalishvili proved once again why he is the king of the bantamweight division. The Georgian fighter put on a dominant performance against Sean O’Malley, finishing him with a brutal submission in the third round to defend his title. The fight took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and the crowd was on their feet as Dvalishvili showcased his incredible skills.
From the start, Dvalishvili was relentless, constantly pushing forward and taking O’Malley down with his powerful wrestling. O’Malley, known for his striking and flashy style, tried his best to defend against the takedowns, but Dvalishvili’s pressure was too much. Even though O’Malley managed to stop several takedown attempts early on, he began to tire as the fight went on. In the third round, Dvalishvili finally got the better of him, locking in a tight north-south choke that forced O’Malley to tap out.
After the fight, an excited Dvalishvili spoke about his victory. “He was well trained, he was well prepared, and I knew that he was going to make changes because, hey, every time I lost, I made big changes and I learned from it,” he said. “But I’m getting better and better. I wasn’t showing this technique before, and I have more tools in my pocket I’m still working on. Little by little, I will show them. Now it’s my time.”
Dvalishvili also mentioned who he wants to fight next. “Cory Sandhagen is the most deserving guy,” he said. “He’s been here so many times, he’
s a really good guy, a respectful guy, and I like his jokes too.” With this win, Dvalishvili extended his incredible winning streak to 13 fights, tying him for the fourth-longest streak in UFC history.
On the other hand, Sean O’Malley was disappointed with the outcome. “I didn’t feel like it was going to go like that,” he admitted. “Unfortunately, it did. Merab is a motherf***er.” This loss marks the first time in O’Malley’s career that he has lost two fights in a row, and he will now have to go back to training to figure out his next move.
The co-main event of the evening was just as exciting, as Kayla Harrison finally achieved her dream of becoming a UFC champion. She faced Julianna Peña for the women’s bantamweight title and dominated the fight, finishing Peña with a kimura submission in the second round. Harrison, a former Olympic judoka, showed her superior grappling skills, controlling Peña on the ground before locking in the fight-ending hold.
After her victory, Harrison had a surprise waiting for her. Amanda Nunes, the greatest female fighter in UFC history, stepped into the octagon and announced that she was coming out of retirement to challenge Harrison for the belt. The two fighters had a tense face-off, setting up what could be one of the biggest fights in women’s MMA history.
The rest of the UFC 316 card delivered plenty of action as well. In the middleweight division, Joe Pyfer earned a hard-fought decision win over Kelvin Gastelum. Mario Bautista pulled off an upset by defeating Patchy Mix in a bantamweight bout, while Kevin Holland impressed with a second-round submission victory over Vicente Luque.
The prelims also had some standout performances. Joshua Van stopped Bruno Silva with strikes in the third round, and Azamat Murzakanov made quick work of Brendson Ribeiro, finishing him in the first round. Waldo Cortes-Acosta won a decision against Serghei Spivac in a heavyweight clash, and Andreas Gustafsson dominated Khaos Williams in their welterweight fight.
The early prelims saw Wang Cong win a decision over Ariane da Silva, while JooSang Yoo knocked out Jeka Saragih in just 28 seconds. Quillan Salkilld and MarQuel Mederos also picked up decision wins in their respective lightweight fights.
Overall, UFC 316 was an action-packed night with big wins, shocking moments, and exciting announcements. Merab Dvalishvili and Kayla Harrison stood out as the biggest winners, but the entire card proved why the UFC remains the premier organization in mixed martial arts. Fans are already looking forward to the next big fights, especially the potential showdown between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes.
For now, Dvalishvili can celebrate another successful title defense, while O’Malley and others will go back to the drawing board. The world of MMA never stops moving, and with performances like these, the future of the sport looks brighter than ever.
