The Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley rematch headlines UFC 316 for the UFC Bantamweight Title on Saturday night. Check out our preview, fight prediction and much more ahead of UFC 316 this weekend as O’Malley and Dvalishvili throw down for a second time.
It was ‘The Machine’ who won the first contest back at UFC 306, having since successfully defended his 135-pound belt against Umar Nurmagomedov. Now, their rematch is here as ‘Suga’ aims to become a two-time UFC champion.
SportsLens‘ guide below will tell you all you need to know when it comes to the Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley rematch.
UFC 316 Preview
All eyes are on the Prudential Center in Newark this weekend, with the Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley rematch headlining UFC 316 for the UFC Bantamweight Title on Saturday night.
Along with the Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2 main event, there is another title fight in the women’s bantamweight division. Not to mention a further 11 fights on the rest of the main card and prelims at UFC 316.
Saturday’s UFC 316 main event will be a compelling fight, that is for sure. ‘The Machine’ has looked almost unbeatable of late, solidifying himself in recent fights as the outright #1 in the bantamweight division.
That being said, Sean O’Malley has revealed he has quit smoking weed and social media ahead of UFC 316, which could have a baring on the fight itself. ‘Suga’ lost the first fight via decision, but also had some injury troubles heading into it. UFC 316 could turn out to be a totally different contest altogether.
There is no denying that O’Malley and Dvalishvili are the two best 135-pound fighters on the UFC roster today. The rematch makes sense and will be a blockbuster night of action on Saturday, June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
So, who will walk away from the octagon with the UFC Bantamweight Title belt around their waist after tasting victory in this rematch? We’ll soon find out!
Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley Prediction
Given his dominance inside the octagon of late, it’s clear to see why Merab Dvalishvili is predicted to defeat Sean O’Malley for the second time at UFC 316 this weekend by the majority of MMA fans.
After winning the UFC Bantamweight Title belt from O’Malley at UFC 306, Dvalishvili has gone from strength to strength. His latest win against Umar Nurmagomedov was highly impressive, and he is confident of backing that up with another win over O’Malley at UFC 316.
That being said, ‘Suga’ has made some household changes in his life, as previously mentioned. Whether or not they have an effect in the cage remain to be seen. Inactivity could be an issue here for the American too, having underwent surgery following his first fight with ‘The Machine’ back in September.
It’s worth mentioning that Dvalishvili reportedly had a toe injury during camp, but has revealed that this is no longer an issue.
We are expecting a closer fight here, but ultimately it is hard to see anything but a repeat victory for Dvalishvili on Saturday night. Expect the contest to go the full five rounds again, with Merab getting his hand raised and winning by decision.
SportsLens’ MMA expert prediction: Merab Dvalishvili to WIN via Unanimous Decision
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2 – Fight Info
- 🥊 Headline Fight: Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley 2
- 📊 Records: Dvalishvili (19-4, 3 KO’s) | O’Malley (18-2-1NC, 12 KO’s)
- 📅 Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
- 🕛 Main Event Time: Approx. 12.30am ET
- 🏆 Title: UFC Bantamweight Title
- 📺 TV Channel: ESPN/ESPN+
- 🏟 Venue: Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey, USA
UFC 316 Tickets
When it comes to tickets for UFC 316, prices are rather expensive. This comes as no surprise at all. That is one huge criticizm of the UFC and Dana White – the ticket prices are extortionate the majority of the time.
The Prudential Center has a rough capacity of 16,755 seats. These seats are split into sections with various different prices depending on where your seat is located inside the arena.
Ticket prices range from a minimum of $334, right up to a maximum of $4,182. Almost all ticket types are still available to purchase via ticketmaster.
The average price for UFC 316 tickets is around $1,021 according to TickPick. This is on the rather expensive side, but isn’t a huge surprise given the UFC’s track record when it comes to their pricing point for tickets to all of their events.
Standard PPV tickets, like UFC 315 tickets for their last pay-per-view event, have an average price of $500-$1,000. This makes UFC 316 tickets slightly above average in price.
What Time Is UFC 316 At?
With 13 fights in total on the UFC 316 full card, the action is set to get underway rather early on Saturday, June 7.
The early prelims are set to begin at around 6pm ET, with the preliminary card following that at around 8pm. The UFC 316 main card is set to kick off at around 10pm ET, meaning the main event is set for around 12.30am ET in the early hours of Sunday morning.
This means that MMA fans in the United States will be able to tune into UFC Fight Pass, Disney+, ESPN+ and ESPN+ PPV respectively to watch the full UFC 316 card this weekend.
UFC 316 Full Card
| Fight | Weight Class | Rounds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Card (ESPN+ PPV) | |||||||
| Merab Dvalishvili (c) vs Sean O’Malley 2 | Bantamweight | 5 | |||||
| Juliana Pena (c) vs Kayla Harrison | Women’s Bantamweight | 5 | |||||
| Kelvin Gastelum vs Joe Pyfer | Middleweight | 3 | |||||
| Mario Bautista vs Patchy Mix | Bantamweight | 3 | |||||
| Vicente Luque vs Kevin Holland | Welterweight | 3 | |||||
| Preliminary Card (ESPN+/Disney+) | |||||||
| Bruno Silva vs Joshua Van | Flyweight | 3 | |||||
| Azamat Murzakanov vs Brendson Ribeiro | Light-Heavyweight | 3 | |||||
| Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta | Heavyweight | 3 | |||||
| Khaos Williams vs Andreas Gustafsson | Welterweight | 3 | |||||
| Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+/Disney+) | |||||||
| Ariane da Silva vs Wang Cong | Women’s Flyweight | 3 | |||||
| Jeka Saragih vs Yoo Joo-sang | Featherweight | 3 | |||||
| Quillan Salkilld vs Yanal Ashmouz | Lightweight | 3 | |||||
| MarQuel Mederos vs Mark Choinski | Lightweight | 3 | |||||
Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2: Tale of the Tape
| Merab Dvalishvili | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Georgian-American | ||||||
| Age | 34 | ||||||
| Height | 5’6″ | ||||||
| Reach | 68″ | ||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||
| Total Fights | 23 | ||||||
| Record | 19-4 (3 KO’s) | ||||||
| Sean O’Malley | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Age | 30 | ||||||
| Height | 5’11” | ||||||
| Reach | 72″ | ||||||
| Stance | Switch | ||||||
| Total Fights | 21 | ||||||
| Record | 18-2-1NC (12 KO’s) | ||||||
