Sean O’Malley appears to reclaim the UFC males’s bantamweight championship when he takes on titleholder Merab Dvalishvili in the principle occasion of UFC 316 on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV, with prelims at 8 on ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+ and early prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN+/Disney+).
O’Malley, ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s divisional rankings, held the title from August 2023 to September 2024, when he misplaced to Dvalishvili by unanimous resolution. That is O’Malley’s first combat for the reason that loss. Dvalishvili, ESPN’s No. 4-ranked males’s pound-for-pound fighter, beat Umar Numagomedov by unanimous resolution in his final combat.
Within the co-main occasion, Julianna Peña places her ladies’s bantamweight title on the road towards Kayla Harrison. Peña, ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s ladies’s P4P rankings, narrowly beat Raquel Pennington by cut up resolution to assert the title. That is Peña’s second title run. Harrison, ESPN’s No. 4-ranked ladies’s P4P fighter, enters the combat following a unanimous resolution win over Ketlen Vieira. Harrison is a former two-time PFL champion.
Brett Okamoto spoke to former UFC fighters Din Thomas and Anthony Smith to get their major occasion predictions. ESPN betting knowledgeable Ian Parker provides perception and evaluation on the principle occasion and different intriguing bets he likes on the cardboard.
Males’s bantamweight championship
This [pick] has nothing to do with O’Malley. I simply suppose as a way to beat Merab, it’s important to be the bantamweight model of the late Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. There needs to be that one-punch, shut-off energy. O’Malley fights so effectively at vary, however I do not suppose Merab goes to offer him area to do what he does finest. — Anthony Smith
Will probably be barely nearer and extra aggressive than their first [fight], however I believe Merab’s depth will probably be a bit of an excessive amount of for O’Malley. And in the end, O’Malley will not be capable to keep off his again. — Din Thomas
Betting evaluation
Odds correct as of June. For probably the most up-to-date odds, go to ESPN BET.
Parker: Dvalishvili to win by resolution (-170). It’s exhausting to think about this rematch going any in another way than the primary combat. Since then, Dvalishvili has defended efficiently towards an elite fighter in Nurmagomedov, whereas O’Malley has sat idly, hoping for this chance. Until O’Malley catches the champ off guard and places him away, I anticipate this to be a typical Dvalishvili combat. Search for him to shoot steady takedowns and apply strain at a menacing tempo for all 5 rounds. To make the worth extra manageable, you may take Dvalishvili to win by resolution.
Ladies’s bantamweight championship
Julianna goes to spend an excessive amount of time attempting to wrestle, and it isn’t going to work. She’ll find yourself on her again, the place I see her consuming a number of too many elbows. — Din Thomas
I believe Julianna fights so much within the grey areas, punching into clinches and takedowns. I do not suppose she will win these conditions and win sufficient of these moments to beat Kayla. I believe it will be aggressive at occasions and Julianna will assault Kayla’s gasoline tank, however Kayla will win extra moments over the course of 5 rounds. — Anthony Smith
Betting evaluation
Parker: Underneath 4.5 rounds (+125). Harrison is the largest betting favourite on the cardboard, which is uncommon for the challenger in a title combat. Though Peña is hard, until Harrison gasses out to the purpose that she will’t land a takedown, it is exhausting to think about her not ending Peña. As soon as Harrison will get the combat to the mat, Peña will probably be in a world of hassle, combating simply to outlive. In some unspecified time in the future, Harrison’s takedowns and prime strain will probably be an excessive amount of.
Parker’s finest bets on the remainder of the cardboard
Males’s bantamweight: Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Combine
Combine to win (-185). Combine is making his debut towards Bautista, who’s on a seven-fight successful streak. This matchup ought to function loads of enjoyable grappling exchanges. If this combat stays on the ft, it is a coin toss. Nonetheless, if Combine can put Bautista on his again, he’ll take over. Combine could also be the very best grappler on the planet at 135 kilos, and I imagine his expertise will probably be on full show.
Heavyweight: Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Spivac to win (-150). Spivac is a close to -150 favourite, which is shocking, as I imagine he must be a -200 and even heavier. On the ft, Spivac is the extra expert striker, and he has a wonderful floor sport that Cortes-Acosta will not be capable to defend. So long as Spivac stays away from Cortes-Acosta’s energy, he ought to be capable to shut the gap and make the most of his grappling benefit to get the win.
