Headlining the event is a rematch for the undisputed UFC bantamweight title, as Georgian world champion Merab Dvalishvili puts his title on the line against the man he defeated to win it, former champ Sean O’Malley.
Dvalishvili produced an outstanding performance to dethrone “Suga” Sean, then went on to end the undefeated record of Russian contender Umar Nurmagomedov in his first title defence. During that time, O’Malley has gone back to the drawing board, simplified his life by ditching social media and even binning off his traditional fight week hair dying sessions as he zeroes in on the task at hand – winning back his old title.
The women’s bantamweight tilte will be contested in the night’s co-main event, as defending two-time champion Julianna Pena looks to put her belt on the line against two-time Olympic judo champion and former PFL women’s lightweight world champion Kayla Harrison, who is bidding to capture UFC gold for the very first time.
Plenty has been said between the two bantamweight rivals ahead of their title tussle, with Pena irked by her huge underdog status, while Harrison hasn’t taken too kindly to some of “The Venezuelan Vixen’s” pre-fight trash talk.
On The RDX Sports Podcast this week…
On this episode of the RDX Sports Podcast, editor-in-chief Simon Head runs down the fight card for UFC 316 and offers his take on the big fights on the main card. He also takes a look at the prelims, and highlights some key matchups to keep a close eye on.
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