UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili Defends Title, Amanda Nunes Returns to the Octagon

At UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili brilliantly defended his Bantamweight title, submitting Sean O`Malley. The Georgian fighter, aptly nicknamed “The Machine” for his incredible endurance, once again showcased a dominant style, relentlessly pressing his opponent. The fight took place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, attended by notable figures such as Donald Trump and Mike Tyson.

O`Malley, whom Dvalishvili dethroned at UFC 306, had significantly improved since their last encounter. Although he went the distance in Las Vegas, he was clearly outclassed then. Following that loss, O`Malley made significant sacrifices to reach peak condition. The 30-year-old contender quit smoking and abandoned his signature brightly dyed hair, entering the fight with brown braided hair, while his fans sported vibrant afro wigs in his honor.

This time, O`Malley moved much more dynamically, though he spent most of the fight on the defensive. Dvalishvili dominated the striking exchanges and successfully took his opponent down to the canvas five times, where he excels. In the third round, after being thoroughly worn down, O`Malley left himself vulnerable to a north-south choke, and Dvalishvili seized the opportunity to secure the tap-out and retain his 135-pound belt. This victory marked the 13th consecutive MMA win for the 34-year-old, bringing his record to 20-4 and tying for the fourth-longest win streak in UFC history.

Harrison Earns Title Shot Against Nunes, Legend Set for UFC Return

In the co-main event, Kayla Harrison forced Women`s Bantamweight champion Julianna Peña to submit with five seconds left in the second round. Now, having become a UFC champion in just three fights, she will face Amanda Nunes in her first title defense.

Nunes, who retired in 2023 and is widely regarded as the greatest female UFC fighter of all time, had stated before the fight that she would return to the cage to face the winner. Former Olympic judo champion Harrison earned this opportunity with a dominant hat-trick of victories to start her UFC career.

Before joining the UFC last year, the 34-year-old Harrison was a two-time $1 million prize champion in the Professional Fighters League lightweight division. She won her first two UFC bouts, and her impressive overall MMA record — now 19-1 — combined with her fame, instantly made her a contender for a title shot.

“I definitely want to fight Amanda. She`s the greatest of all time,” Harrison said. “I want to be the greatest of all time.”

Harrison called Nunes into the ring, and after some encouragement from announcer Joe Rogan for security to open the cage door, Nunes entered, and the two came face-to-face. Nunes, who is set for induction into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, confirmed that she would indeed fight Harrison at some point for the 135-pound belt. The crowd erupted as the two engaged in a brief staredown.

“We`re going to bring women`s MMA to a whole new level,” Harrison added.

Elsewhere on the card, UFC fighter Kevin Holland choked out Vicente Luque, and Joe Pyfer defeated Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision in a middleweight bout.

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