UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against Sean O’Malley on June 7 in the main event of UFC 316 on June 7, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

This will be Dvalishvili’s second title defense in his reign as the undisputed king of the division and his second meeting with O’Malley, whom he defeated in September via unanimous decision at UFC 306.

Due to his dominant performance in their previous match, Dvalishvili is the betting favorite with -300 UFC odds, while O’Malley heads into the bout as the +240 betting underdog.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley Odds

• Merab Dvalishvili: -300
• Sean O’Malley: +240

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley: Prediction

I predict Dvalishvili will reassert his mastery over O’Malley in this championship rematch with a unanimous decision win because his wrestling and grappling skills are too superior to handle throughout five rounds.

Like their first meeting last year, Dvalishvili will assert dominance on the ground game and drown O’Malley with constant pressure and ground and pound strikes from a dominant position from the mount.

Once Dvalishvili gets his hands on O’Malley, it would be almost an automatic takedown. Although those takedown attempts won’t be successful all the time, it will certainly take a significant amount of energy from O’Malley as he scrambles to defend them.

O’Malley’s biggest adjustment is throwing more leg kicks at Dvalishvili’s calf in hopes of slowing him down with his pressure and takedown attempts. This approach could be helpful for “Suga,” especially since he only attempted and landed two leg kicks in their first bout.

Merab Dvalishvili’s Recent Fight Results

Dvalishvili was the former ROC champion when he joined the UFC in 2017 with a record of 7-2. However, he immediately suffered two losses in the Las Vegas-based promotion courtesy of Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simon.

But those two defeats quickly turned into an immaculate run as he went on to sweep his next 12 fights in the UFC. His most notable wins inside the octagon were against Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley, and most recently, Umar Nurmagomedov.

Sean O’Malley’s Recent Fight Results

O’Malley’s route to the UFC was through the Dana White Contender Series, where he scored an incredible first-round knockout over Alfred Khashakyan to earn a roster spot in the promotion in 2017. Since then, he has had a meteoric rise inside the octagon.

“Suga” was a walking highlight reel, winning 11 of his next 14 matches inside the octagon. In August 2023, he defeated Aljamain Sterling to capture the UFC gold and defended the title against Marlon Vera in March 2024.

In September, he yielded the belt to Dvalishvili after being dominated most of the match. Now, he has an opportunity to reclaim the championship and become a two-time UFC bantamweight champion.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley: Tale of the Tape

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley Fight Card

• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley, UFC bantamweight title match
• Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison, UFC women’s bantamweight title match
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer, middleweight match
• Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix, bantamweight match
• Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland, welterweight match
• Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van, flyweight match
• Johnny Walker vs. Azamat Murzakanov, light heavyweight match
• Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta, heavyweight match
• Khaos Williams vs. Uros Medic, welterweight match
• Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong, women’s flyweight match
• Jeka Saragih vs. Joosang Yoo, featherweight match
• Quilland Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz, lightweight match