UFC 316 LIVE: Merab Dvalishvili submits Sean O’Malley after Kayla Harrison crowned champion
Dvalishvili dominated to force an O’Malley tap in the third round of their high-stakes rematch
Merab Dvalishvili produced another dominant title defence to submit Sean O’Malley in their rematch at UFC 316 and stake his claim as the greatest bantamweight of all time.
Dvalishvili made his second defence of the belt, having dethroned O’Malley with a comprehensive decision win in September, before outpointing Umar Nurmagomedov in a stunning comeback in January. And after going two rounds up, he locked in a neck crank in the third round to secure the first finish of his title reign.
It came after Kayla Harrison dethroned Julianna Pena in the co-main event to become the UFC’s bantamweight queen, promptly using the throne to invite women’s GOAT Amanda Nunes to return from retirement in a mouth-watering clash. In lifting the title, judo-master Harrison became only the second athlete ever to boast an Olympic gold medal and UFC gold on their resume.
Also in action were former Bellator champion Patchy Mix, whose UFC debut proved incredibly underwhelming as he lost convincingly to Mario Bautista, as well as fan favourite Kevin Holland, who kicked off the main card with a submission victory over Vicente Luque.
Relive all the action from UFC 316 below:
Merab Dvalishvili crushes Sean O’Malley in UFC 316 rematch to stake claim as bantamweight GOAT
Merab Dvalishvili produced another dominant title defence to submit Sean O’Malley in their rematch at UFC 316 and stake his claim as the greatest bantamweight of all time.
Dvalishvili made his second defence of the belt, having dethroned O’Malley with a comprehensive decision win in September, before outpointing Umar Nurmagomedov in a stunning comeback in January.
The Georgian quickly took control of the bout, impressing with his sharp striking before he even got going on the mat and taking the first two rounds.
He was then able to bring the fight to the ground in the third, where he suffocated O’Malley before locking in a neck crank to force a tap - his first finish of what is becoming an era-defining title reign.
Read the full report from UFC 316 below:
Dvalishvili crushes O’Malley in high-stakes rematch at UFC 316
Amanda Nunes confirms mammoth UFC return after intense staredown with new champion Kayla Harrison
Amanda Nunes has confirmed her intention to make a mammoth return to the UFC after engaging in an intense staredown with newly-crowned bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison.
Nunes is widely considered the greatest women’s fighter in UFC history, boasting the accolade as the first women to ever hold two title simultaneously while also holding the record for longest unbeaten streak in women’s UFC history on nine.
She bid farewell to the sport in 2023, retiring on top as she vacated both her titles to enjoy her riches and focus on her family.
Now, however, she appears to be on her way back to the cage after Harrison invited her into the Octagon following her title win at UFC 316, stoking the fire for a mouth-watering title clash down the line.
Nunes confirms mammoth UFC return after intense staredown with new champion Harrison
Pyfer, Bautista and Holland all pick up big wins
Kayla Harrison reaches women's bantamweight mountain top
Worst UFC debut since Punk?
There was a lot of hype around Patchy Mix’s arrival. But his first UFC outing was pretty dreadful.
He looked flat-footed, stiff and classes below UFC regular Mario Bautista.
Dare I say it... was that the most underwhelming debut since CM Punk?
Kayla Harrison joins elite club of champions
Kayla Harrison has joined only Henry Cejudo as athletes to win both an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title. Elite.
Merab Dvalishvili submits Sean O'Malley to retain bantamweight title
UFC 316 LIVE: Full results
Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via third-round decision (neck crank, 4:41)
Kayla Harrison def. Julianna Pena vs second-round submission (kimura lock, 4:55)
Joe Pyfer def. Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)
Mario Bautista def. Patchy Mix via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Kevin Holland def. Vicente Luque via second-round decision (D’Arce choke, 1:03)
Joshua Van def. Bruno Silva via third-round TKO (ground strikes, 4:01)
Azamat Murzakanov def. Brendson Ribeiro via first-round knockout (ground strikes, 3:25)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Serghei Spivac via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Andreas Gustafsson def. Khaos Williams via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Wang Cong def. Ariane da Silva via unanimous decsion (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Yoo Joo-sang def. Jeka Saragih via first-round knockout (left hook, 0:28)
Quillan Salkilld def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
MarQuel Mederos def. Mark Choinski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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