Merab defeats O’malley in UFC 316 fight night. The UFC 316 fight night was a night of anticipated bout between Dvalishvili Merab and Sean O’Malley. In the main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili tries to retain his title against former UFC champion Sean O’Malley who he defeated via unanimous decision In their first meeting at UFC 306 on Sept. 14, 2024.
UFC 316 was hosted at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main event of UFC 316 wasn’t just another title defense—it was a real moment. A chance for Sean O’Malley to prove he’d turned a corner. This time, he came in different. Clean and focused.
Before this bout, he had made it known that he had to quit smoking weed for this bout and did a lot of training. And when he appeared for the bout on the octagon, he physically looks a lot different and better. He looked energetic and ready to give it his all for this fight.
Earlier this week, O’Malley’s coach—Tim Welch—said on his YouTube channel a few days ago that he sees O’Malley winning the rematch. He was sure he would win back this time and mentioned that it’s going to be a war. But then, Merab hit the cage and made it an unforgettable night.
From the first bell, he pulled up like a storm and was ready to give the fight his all. A few seconds into the fight, Merab landed some punches on O’Malley that led to his takedown. Every time O’Malley tried to find his rhythm and throw some magic strikes, Merab was already in his face, driving forward, chaining takedowns, and pinning him against the cage.
The first round wasn’t quite favorable for O’Malley, as he was mostly either pinned down on the floor or cage by Merab. Merab, on the other hand, had a really pretty good one in the first round.
O’Malley did have his moments, particularly in Round two, when he countered sharply and left everyone thinking, perhaps, “This is his night.” However, Merab was unaffected. He simply kept coming. Takedown following takedown. Regulating one position after another. Slowly but gradually, one could see Sean losing his battle and his confidence.
And then round three came. Merab did not only prevail but finished the fight with amazing and surprising moves.—a north-south choke. Everyone was taken by surprise, including Sean and the audience, as well as the commentators. Sean tapped out at 3:44 in the last round.
No doubt Merab proved once again why he is called ”The machine.” He dismantled O’Malley with grinding, wrestling, superior cardio and relentless pressure. This rematch makes 13th straight wins for Merab, and maybe his most impressive one yet.
For O’Malley, it’s a tough loss to take—especially when he had sacrificed, cleaned up his life, and showed real growth to make sure he wins this bout. But sometimes, effort doesn’t always guarantee victory.
