UFC 316 Preview - Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2

It seems that we are right back at it in the Bantamweight division as UFC 316 is set to be headlined by a title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. The UFC brass didn’t mind making this fight again, despite it being very one-sided in their first matchup. With a lack of true competition for Merab, a rematch versus O’Malley seemed like a sure thing.

Besides this one, the co-main event will feature Julianna Peña taking on Kayla Harrison. There’s a lot of bad blood between the two, making this fight a much-anticipated one. The rest of the card may not be worth that much of a PPV, but we might get more than we have expected from it, as this is how things usually go.

Nevertheless, let’s get right to it, one fight at a time.

Main Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2 

As we already mentioned, this is a rematch fight, where Merab dominantly won the Bantamweight title in the first place. Back then, Dvalishvili did what he always does, put Sean in a grind fest and dominated him from bell to bell.

Since their first fight, Merab managed to defend his title once. He defeated Umar Nurmagomedov in the same manner that he dominates everyone. On the other hand, O’Malley had no fights since September 2024 and the loss of his Bantamweight title. He has had some nagging injuries since then, but to tell the truth, when is O’Malley not injured, especially after a loss?

It’s hard to see this fight going any other way than it has in their first fight. We haven’t seen anything different from them compared to then. We haven’t seen O’Malley at all, while Dvalishvili kept putting people through the Machine as he always does. Basically, it is impossible to predict this fight going any other way than Merab going for another dominant win.

O’Malley does have a puncher’s chance. He is still a very dangerous striker, and his standup game cannot be underestimated. However, I don’t see him getting a chance to land that big shot on Merab. Dvalishvili has a third lung and has the capacity to go beyond five rounds if needed. He can easily get takedowns on Sean and grind him up till the very end. So I predict this one being as one-sided as the first one, with Merab trying to go one up and perhaps finishing O’Malley on the ground. 

Co-Main Event: Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison

The Women’s Bantamweight title will be contested between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison, something that we have expected ever since the UFC signed Harrison over from PFL. Naturally, it took her only two fights to get to a title shot, which stands firmly in the hands of the Venezuelan Vixen.

Peña put herself on the map when she defeated the all-time women’s GOAT, Amanda Nunes. Even though she lost the second fight, she re-established herself as the Bantamweight champion by defeating Raquel Pennington for the vacant strap. This is meant to be her first title defence after that victory.

Kayla made her UFC debut by defeating former champion Holly Holm via a rear-naked choke submission. She later defeated Ketlen Vieira thanks to a decision win, but with a much less impressive performance compared to her first outing.

Despite Peña being the champion, Harrison is a significant favourite in this one. She was able to dominate almost all of her opponents in her career, except Larissa Pacheco, who remains her only loss in her career to this day. Both fighters are skilled on the ground, with Harrison being a much better wrestler, while Julianna is a better submission specialist.

While I give Kayla an advantage on the ground, I also give Julianna a massive advantage on the feet. We’ve seen Kayle being exposed on the feet against Vieira, and it might be the road to victory for Julianna to take. However, I don’t really see that happening. I think that Kayla will have her way and manage to edge out a decision win and become the new UFC champion with the help of heavy grappling and pressure.

UFC 316 Predictions: Rest of the Card

The rest of the UFC 316 fight card features a mix of interesting fights. For me, it is nothing to get excited about, but some of them could prove me wrong and end in spectacular fashion.

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer

The third fight of the PPV is a Middleweight scrap between Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer. Joe Bodybagz Pyfer wants to get back into connection after his hype train was derailed by Jack Hermansson. He already avenged that loss with a KO win versus Marc-Andre Barriault. But if he wants to get back on track, he should do the same to Kelvin Gastelum. 

On the other hand, Gastelum may have defeated Daniel Rodriguez in his last outing. But he has lost six out of the nine most recent fights. We all love Kelvin, and he is not that old either. At 33, he should still have a lot that he could do. But he has had a long career up till no,w and Pyfer does have more in his arsenal to offer. 

I can’t put this one any other way than Pyfer going out of this one with a dominant win. He is going for a KO/TKO, and he is probably going to be aggressive from the very start of the fight. Gastelum is an excellent grappler and wrestler, but I think that Joe will be able to defend well and perhaps even outwrestle him if needed.

Mario Bautista vs. Patrick Mix 

With Marlon Vera out with injury, Mario Bautista got Patrick Patchy Mix as a replacement fighter. The former Bellator champ is therefore making his debut in the UFC, with the streaky Bautista welcoming him in. 

Mario Bautista is on a seven-fight win streak, with Jose Aldo being his last win. He may be ranked 10th in the division, but is a promising fighter who has the chops to contend for the title if he continues in the same trajectory he is heading. That is why the UFC decided to test him out and put Patchy Mix in front of him.

Mix is an incredible grappler and only has a single loss in his MMA career, with 20 wins. He is also on a seven-fight win streak entering the UFC, with notable wins against Sergio Pettis and Magomed Magomedov. But, entering the UFC can become a massive weight to bear. Other Bellator champs were not able to continue in the same way when put against UFC competition, so Mix might end in the same way.

I give a slight advantage ot Bautista. He is the more experienced fighter when it comes to the UFC. Mix is an incredible grappler, but it remains to be seen if he can transfer those skills in the octagon as well.

Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland 

Opening the UFC 316 PPV card is a Welterweight fight between Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland. In my opinion, this is a perfect way to start the night. A Kevin Holland fight is never a boring fight, and this one shouldn’t be either. He is going up against the Silent Assassin, Vicente Luque, who may not be in the same shape or form as before, but still has the chops to deliver a spectacle. 

Luque is 2-3 in his last five fights, with his last fight going his way against Themba Gorimbo. The Trailblazer is not doing any better with a 2-4 record in his last six fights. He did end up winning against Gunnar Nelson via decision in his previous fight, but it was not as impressive as he usually makes things out to be. 

While we all love Kevin Holland and the way he approaches fights, they usually don’t go his way. Luque is a much serious opponent than Nelson was and does have more firepower in his arsenal. He is good both on his feet and on the ground. While he may not be able to knock out Holland, he can definitely grapple with him on the ground. So I predict this one ending in favour of the Silent Assassin via judge’s decision.

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