Dana White surprises with Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley title rematch news for UFC 316 in Newark

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title - happens June 7 from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. as part of UFC 316 PPV.

Dana White surprises with Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley title rematch news for UFC 316 in Newark

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2 headlines UFC 316 in Newark (Source: IMAGO)

Sean O’Malley will have the chance to have UFC undisputed gold back around his waist in his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili. The duo will meet in the UFC 316 PPV main event on June 7 from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. As part of a series of UFC 316 matchups, UFC CEO Dana White announced the news on IG Live on Tuesday.

Sean O’Malley dropped his hardware to ‘Machine’ in a unanimous decision loss at the UFC 306 PPV headliner last September. ‘Suga’ briefly took an out as he needed surgery on his hip cartilage (labrum) after the fight. He said it hindered his immediate camp. Now, O’Malley goes right back into a PPV title headlining spot against the champ; Merab Dvalishvili had given the green signal to this matchup before.

YouTube video

To Dvalishvili’s point, the duo have history, and the rematch remains the most lucrative option. Despite wanting this matchup, the Georgian fighter turned around just four months later for a title defense win over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 PPV event.

Ever since, he has been teasing his next defense against O’Malley; the latter is still the #1 ranked bantamweight on the athlete listings. In the meantime, former champion Suga can join the likes of Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw as the only fighters to hold two separate title reigns at 135 pounds.

Meanwhile, the champion is riding a 12-fight winning streak, and has silently created an everlasting legacy in the bantamweight weight class. He also made strides in the official UFC Pound-for-pound weekly update, promising to remain a beltholder. He had designs for a Petr Yan matchup if not this, but this came first.

The upcoming UFC 316 PPV event lineup has yet another title fight. Kayla Harrison’s long-awaited opportunity to fight for UFC undisputed gold has finally arrived.

Julianna Pena vs Kayla Harrison title fight finally booked for UFC 316 PPV card in New Jersey

A two-time Olympian/PFL champion, Harrison is 18-1 MMA and has begun on a neat 2-0 UFC run. Now, right before Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, the gold medal winner can take the fight to champ Julianna Pena.

Another title fight happens at UFC 316
Another title fight happens at UFC 316 (Source: X)

With no more WMMA featherweight division, Harrison made bantamweight her home and dispatched big-name Holly Holm. Then, she defeated Ketlen Vieira to become the #2 WMMA bantamweight on the athlete listings. In the feature co-main of the same UFC 307 pay-per-view card, Pena defeated former champ Raquel Pennington, with any billing the latter should have won the controversial decision.

Pena, 35, captured the 135-pound title and called out Amanda Nunes to come out for a trilogy. But that did not come to be. With her neglecting the Harrison option and with her history of camp illness, there were talks about an interim spot.

Harrison, though, was already ready for this spot ever since her crossing over. Rising contender Norma Dumont recently pitched in for it against Kayla Harrison. Argentine fighter Ailin Perez also did the same, saying the champ was scared of the scope of facing Harrison.

Much like Michael Chandler, she was ready to pitch against the champ or Pena in her sophomore affair if a title crack came calling. Per DraftKings Sportsbook, she is a ginormous -300 betting prop to snag gold this 2025 season. She was such a hot new signing that a Pena vs. Harrison affair was to be made. Julianna Pena is consequently the biggest PPV underdog to be able to retain her strap across the betting board.

Related: Top 5 Biggest UFC/DWCS Upsets of 2024 (Ranked)