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UFC 316 'Countdown' gets fans hyped for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 9:12 AM ET

We’re now less than a week away from UFC 316, and that means fans can get ready for the event with the promotion’s official “Countdown” preview.

Set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, UFC 316 is headlined by a rematch for the men’s bantamweight belt between Merab Dvalishvili and former titleholder Sean O’Malley.

Julianna Peña will also kick off her second reign as women’s bantamweight champion in the co-main event when she takes on former PFL star Kayla Harrison, and the rest of the event is packed with other intriguing bouts such as Patchy Mix’s promotional debut against Mario Bautista.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Countdown For Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2

Dvalishvili largely dominated O’Malley in their first meeting at UFC 306 to claim the bantamweight title, and their rematch is understandably dominating much of the attention during the lead up to this Saturday’s UFC 316.

If fans weren’t already excited enough for the bantamweight grudge match, the official UFC 316 “Countdown” video should help build plenty of intrigue as O’Malley prepares to return for the first time since dropping a unanimous decision to Dvalishvili in September.

O'Malley Seeks Redemption At UFC 316

While “Suga” hasn’t competed since losing his belt at UFC 306, Dvalishvili already secured his first bantamweight title defense against the formerly-undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 to kick off the year.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“The Machine” is now on a 12-fight win streak that dates back to 2018, and in addition to O’Malley and Nurmagomedov his most recent stretch of wins also includes former UFC double-champ Henry Cejudo, former bantamweight king Petr Yan, and UFC Hall of Famer José Aldo.

The sample size is admittedly small, but O'Malley does currently have a 1-0 record in rematches after he defeated Marlon “Chito” Vera in their second meeting at UFC 299 to notch the lone defense of his bantamweight title before losing to Dvalishvili.

(via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC 316 and the card’s highly-anticipated headliner go down in Newark on Saturday night, and be sure to check back with MMA Knockout throughout the week for coverage of the event.

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This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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