Merab Dvalishvili cemented his reign as the UFC Bantamweight Champion on Saturday night at UFC 316, dominating Sean O'Malley in their highly anticipated rematch.
Dvalishvili secured a third-round modified choke at 4:42, extending his remarkable win streak to 13 and retaining his title in front of a cageside audience that included United States President Donald Trump.
Dvalishvili (20-4) put on a wrestling masterclass, relentlessly pressuring O'Malley and effectively utilising his grappling prowess to tire out the challenger.
The emphatic victory not only solidified Dvalishvili's position atop the bantamweight division but also sparked discussions among pundits and fans about his place among the sport's all-time greats in the weight class.
The "Machine" wasted no time in calling out his next potential opponent, expressing keen interest in a title defence against Cory Sandhagen (18-5). "You're the man, let's go," Dvalishvili declared, signalling his readiness to face Sandhagen, who has won four of his last five fights.
This loss marks O'Malley's (18-3) second defeat to Dvalishvili, having previously relinquished his title to the Georgian fighter via unanimous decision last September. Despite the setback, "Suga" Sean remained optimistic, vowing a steady return to contention.
"100%, thank you guys for coming out," O'Malley said.
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 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) called out Pena's (13-6) former rival, Amanda Nunes. Nunes (23-5) is a former two-division champion who retired in 2023. As time passed, she teased a comeback. It now seems inevitable, as Harrison and Nunes posed for a face-off and talked of a bout later this year as the Prudential Center crowd beamed.
Middleweight Joe Pyfer made good on his UFC return, defeating TUF alumnus Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-27, 30-27. Pyfer (14-3) 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 last June, defeating Daniel Rodriguez (19-5) 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 primarily stayed on the feet, as Bautista (16-2) has won eight in a row while Mix (20-2) was presumed to be a possible title challenger upon entry into the promotion.
The former Bellator champion must assess what went wrong before attempting to find himself in the top-15.
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) has now won three of his last five, emphasising the need to remain a prominent welterweight contender. Luque (23-11-1), who resides in New Jersey via Brazil, has lost two of his last three.
Right-handed batter now sits just ahead of teammate Mohammad Rizwan, who now positioned at 13th
We have had no discussions within board about Asia Cup, says BBCI official
Inclusion of Pakistani stars in BBL to be great for the league and the teams, says Todd Greenberg
World cup starts from September 30 till November 2 across five venues in India, Sri Lanka: ICC
Look forward to spending more time with my family, says wicketkeeper batter
Agha addresses circulating screenshots implying he had unfollowed his teammate, fuelling speculation of feud
