Tag: Merab Dvalishvili

UFC 316 video: Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley have first faceoff for title rematch

Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley had the first faceoff Friday for their UFC 316 title rematch on June 7.

MIAMI – [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] got a first look at each other Friday after their UFC 316 bantamweight title rematch became official.

After Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) took the belt from O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by unanimous decision this past September, the pair will run it back in the main event of the June 7 card at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+).

Leading into the first meeting, Dvalishvili and O’Malley had some heat between them. The tone has dramatically changed for the sequel, however, with both men expressing a degree of admiration toward each other.

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That attitude was clear in the staredown, which was a respectful and professional scene.

Check out the video above to see the Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley faceoff from the UFC 316 on-sale press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Video replay: ‘UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2’ press conference

UFC 316 title fight athletes Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley, Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison will attend a Friday press conference.

MIAMI – The first UFC 316 press conference takes place Friday, and you can watch a live stream of the event in the video above. The press conference takes place at Kaseya Center.

In advance of the event, which takes place June 7 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+), the title fight athletes of [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who rematch for bantamweight gold, and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) vs. [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who meet for the women’s bantamweight strap, will answer questions from reporters.

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Here’s what you need to know about the UFC 316 press conference.

What time does the UFC 316 press conference start?

The UFC 313 press conference starts at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Who’s taking part in the UFC 316 press conference?

The four title fight competitors are slated participate in the UFC 316 press conference: Dvalishvili, O’Malley, Peña and Harrison.

It’s unclear if UFC CEO Dana White will oversee the UFC 316 pre-fight press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili defends Sean O’Malley rematch: ‘He deserves it’

Amid backlash of their UFC 316 fight, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili insists Sean O’Malley is worthy of a rematch.

Amid backlash of their UFC 316 fight, bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] insists [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is worthy of a rematch.

Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) will run things back with O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the June 7 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Dvalishvili has since notched his first title defense by bouncing Umar Nurmagomedov out of the ranks of the unbeaten at UFC 311 in January.

Considering that Dvalishvili was dominant in his unanimous decision win over O’Malley at UFC 306, not too many people were clamoring for a rematch. Dvalishvili took issue with his past opponent, Nurmagomedov, getting a title shot but has a different outlook on O’Malley.

“Even though a lot of people criticize O’Malley getting the rematch, I think he deserves it,” Dvalishvili said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I want to find out, too. He made lots of excuses after the fight. Now he did surgery, and I know he will make adjustments, and he will change the game plan.

“It’s going to be a totally different fight. Like O’Malley said, if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. But I think it’s going to be a good fight because I’m going to make some adjustments, too. I know he will attack me from the beginning with the body kicks and striking, and I want to test my striking, too.”

Dvalishvili’s build-up with O’Malley the second time around has been drastically different. The pair have been cordial, even snapping pictures together at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili joked that he prefers the trash talking version of O’Malley but can’t help but like him.

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“That was so cool,” Dvalishvili said of his jacuzzi session with O’Malley at the UFC PI. “All positive. I always liked the guy. I don’t follow many 135’ers on Instagram, and I follow him. He’s funny, he’s cute, and he’s a good fighter too.

“I only have positive feelings other than him talking stupid about my friend Aljamain Sterling. I feel bad for this guy. I stole his jacket, I stole his belt, I stole his fans. I made him humble. He’s definitely a different guy now.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Sean O’Malley relishing Merab Dvalishvili prep this time, says ‘don’t watch’ if unhappy about rematch

Sean O’Malley is a lot more confident going into his second fight with Merab Dvalishvili and couldn’t care less if you tuned in or not.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is a lot more confident going into his second fight against UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) rematches Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) on June 7 in the UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 by unanimous decision last September.

O’Malley later revealed that he went into the fight with a torn labrum in his hip and underwent surgery after the fight to repair it. He said the injury hampered his ability to do any grappling in camp.

“This sounds like I’m exaggerating, and I’m not,” O’Malley said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Just today, this morning practice that I had, I grappled more today than I grappled last fight camp for Merab. I know it sounds like – we did seven, six-minute rounds today, grappling hard, picking the hardest guys, just straight grappling today. I wasn’t able to do that once last camp. That last camp was not a great camp.

“It was great for what I was able to do. … I felt as good as I could going into the fight. I know I could wrestle better than I showed in that last fight. That was borderline embarrassing what I was able to do against Merab. Merab’s tough. Merab’s good. Merab’s probably considered the greatest bantamweight of all time as of right now. So I’m going to go out there, knock him out. What does that make me?”

Don’t like the rematch? ‘Don’t watch’

O’Malley is well aware of the criticism surrounding the UFC’s decision to give him an immediate rematch. He had a simple solution for those unhappy with the fight.

“Don’t watch,” O’Malley said. “Saturday night, June 7, f*cking watch your reality TV show. Don’t watch the fight. I do (understand where they’re coming from), 100 percent. That last fight, I don’t think a lot of people went and truly rewatched it. It’s not one of those fights that’s super worth rewatching unless – I do think the second time watching it, it is a little bit closer than the first time you watched it live.

“But I don’t think many people rewatched it, and they weren’t interested in rewatching it. Their opinion is just going to kind of stay the same. But, again, if they’re not interested, don’t watch it. But when I go out there and win, I guarantee people are going rewatch it or at least rewatch the finish, if there’s a finish. Might be a five-round decision, could be a finish, we’ll see. At the end of the day, that Sunday rolls around, people are going to be talking about it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Javier Mendez: Merab Dvalishvili ‘showboated his way to winning’ vs. Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311

Javier Mendez thinks Merab Dvalishvili’s antics swayed the judges in his favor against Umar Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]’s antics swayed the judges in his favor against [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

After winning the first two rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards, Nurmagomedov was outlasted in a unanimous decision loss to bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the UFC 311 co-main event in January.

Although Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) broke his hand in Round 1 of the fight, his head coach Mendez points to a different reason why he lost.

“I just said to him, ‘You know what, Umar? I felt, in my opinion, I felt you won three out of the five rounds,” Mendez said on his “Javier & Mo podcast.”
“Maybe I’m being biased, but I felt in the fifth round, the reason why you didn’t win is because he showboated his way to winning that. He acted like the victor while you were tired. That’s why I feel he basically took it from you because you let him. But I felt you won.’

“Because when you look at damage and this and that, but when it comes to presence, he definitely got that. The actual damage that he did was nothing compared to what Umar did. He did more. But again, (Dvalishvili) did show that, ‘I’m the winner, I’m the winner,’ and Umar couldn’t stop him from showing that. I can see how the judges would get swayed on that.”

Nurmagomedov is yet to be booked for another fight. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili will run things back with Sean O’Malley in the UFC 316 main event June 7 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Ben Askren: Sean O’Malley rematching Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316 is ‘a bad move’

Ben Askren thinks Sean O’Malley running things back with Merab Dvalishvili is a risky move.

[autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] running things back with [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] is a risky move.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) rematches Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) June 7 in the UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 by unanimous decision in September.

Askren would have preferred to see O’Malley rebound against lower-ranked opposition as opposed to jumping into an immediate rematch with Dvalishvili.

“I kind of think this is a bad move,” Askren said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Daniel Cormier. “If he gets beat up by Merab again, then he loses a whole bunch of attraction because it’s like, well, you already lost to the champ twice, so until the champ goes away, they’re not going to give you a third shot against him. He could have fought some, maybe, lower-ranked guys.

“Against guys who can’t take him down, he kind of looks like a real freaking superstar, right? He’s really exciting, very diverse striking attack, so he could have looked really good, built the fight back up into something bigger. But now, I feel like everyone is feeling, ‘Hey, we just saw this, it wasn’t competitive. Why do we need to see this again?'”

Since their first fight, O’Malley underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili notched his first title defense by handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss at UFC 311 in January.

“I wish Sean would have taken some more time to improve his wrestling, but he still has dynamic striking, he has knockout capabilities,” Askren said. “Merab has been relatively unstoppable looking in his last handful of fights.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 314 preview, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, PFL review, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel previews UFC 314, reacts to Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC on ESPN 65 was host of a big win at 145 pounds. In the main event, [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] in a unanimous decision. We discuss Murphy’s big win, where he goes next, plus other key bouts from the Las Vegas card.
  • The PFL hosted its first event of the season in Olando, Fla. We review and dissect 2025 PFL World Tournament 1, and the new changes the promotion implemented starting this year. We also discuss the results from the card, including [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag]’s nasty submission win over [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag]
  • There were some big fight bookings announced this past week. For starters, UFC CEO Dana White announced the two title fights that will be headlining UFC 316 – [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] 2, and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]. Additionally, [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] returns to fight [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag], and flyweight contenders [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] ink another contract to fight each other. We break down and give early predictions for these big bookings.
  • Lastly, we end the show with a preview for Saturday’s UFC 314. This stacked pay-per-view, which goes down in Miami, hosts a title fight for the vacant featherweight belt between [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]. Also, UFC star [autotag]Paddy Pimblett [/autotag] takes a giant step in his career when he faces former Bellator champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in the co-main event. We preview these bouts, plus many other key fights on the card.

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Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 316 main event

Merab Dvalishvili has opened up as a sizeable favorite over Sean O’Malley in their UFC 316 rematch.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] will run things back at UFC 316.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley preview

Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) dethroned O’Malley to become bantamweight champion at UFC 306 this past September. He has since notched his first title defense by handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first-career loss at UFC 311.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become bantamweight champion at UFC 292. He defended his title by avenging his loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 299, but wound up losing his belt to Dvalishvili. He underwent hip surgery for a pre-existing injury shortly after.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley odds

According to BetRivers, bantamweight champion Dvalishvili is a sizeable -295 favorite to pick up another win over O’Malley, who’s a +225 underdog.

How to watch Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley at UFC 316

  • When: Saturday, June 7, 2025
  • Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Henry Cejudo: Sean O’Malley is ‘being protected’ with Merab Dvalishvili rematch at UFC 316

Henry Cejudo expected Sean O’Malley get a UFC title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili. Here’s why.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] expected [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] to get a rematch against [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) dethroned O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by unanimous decision to become bantamweight champion at UFC 306 in September. Following surgery to repair a torn labrum, O’Malley runs things back with Dvalishvili June 7 in the UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

While Cejudo isn’t surprised with the direction that the UFC decided to go, he sees no case for O’Malley to get another opportunity right away.

“I think we all knew it, bro, Sean O’Malley was going to get his rematch,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “It was the right thing to do to protect him, but I just feel like Sean has to get it done within the first two rounds. He’s being protected, dude.

“Like, does somebody really deserve a rematch after getting 50-45, Kamaru Usman? Like, no. You got 50-45. Get in the back of the motherf*cking line and fight the ‘Triple C,’ but he’s not going to get that. The UFC, they like him. They like the teeny poppers. They want to get into that new generation, Gen Z.”

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Cejudo doesn’t see the rematch going any differently. Outside of a late body kick which stung Dvalishvili, O’Malley struggled to get any offense going and was repeatedly taken down and controlled throughout the fight. While O’Malley was recovering, Dvalishvili retained his title by defeating Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.

“Merab Dvalishvili, he’s pretty much going to do the same thing,” Cejudo continued. “Level change, strike, level change, strike. Maybe give up the first round and bring in the takedowns. It’s the same thing. The question is to me, could a guy like Sean O’Malley hit him to the body early, crack him to the face, and get rid of him?

“He did hurt him to the body in the fifth, and that’s an indicator that the body could be open, and I think if Merab starts getting hit to the body, he’s going to really pivot the pace. I can see Merab Dvalishvili stopping him this time around, and just getting on top of him and ground and pounding him to a pulp.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Why Aljamain Sterling disagrees with Sean O’Malley changing his lifestyle after Merab Dvalishvili loss

Aljamain Sterling thinks Sean O’Malley changing his lifestyle won’t make a difference ahead of UFC 316.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] changing his lifestyle won’t make a difference ahead of UFC 316.

After losing the promotion’s bantamweight title to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) by unanimous decision at UFC 306 this past September, O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will get an immediate rematch in the June 7 headliner (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

O’Malley said he plans to cut out social media, marijuana, and other things to help him in his quest to regain the title. With O’Malley having plenty of success with those things in the past, Sterling thinks O’Malley should focus more on improving his skills.

“So which part did it say, ‘Yeah, and I added in wrestling training sessions,'” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I mean of course, maybe he is. It’s just funny that everyone made such a big thing, ‘Oh he’s changing his life, he’s giving up the Mary Jane.’

“I’m like, those are the things that technically made you who you are and a champion. So, for someone to tell me to go cold turkey, no more drinking, no edibles, nothing, I’m going to look at them like, ‘This is what got me here, why would I stop?'”

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Sterling pointed to UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and rising welterweight contender Carlos Prates as examples of fighters who are successful without necessarily living the healthiest of lifestyles. The former UFC bantamweight champion thinks it’s all mental.

“Carlos Prates, you shouldn’t be smoking ciggies,” Sterling said. “This guy is smoking loosies the day of the fight and not even like one. The man is damn near going through a whole pack, putting guys in the ground.

“So, I’m sitting here like, nah, it’s got to be some type of method to the madness about the mental mind frame that you have to be in when you’re going into the fight. I think that’s the most important thing, like are you comfortable? Are you happy? And if you’re losing after that, then maybe you’ve changed some things up.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.