UFC 316 LIVE: Sean O’Malley aims to regain title from Merab Dvalishvili in high-stakes rematch

LIVE – Updated at 02:28

UFC 316 will culminate in two bantamweight title fights tonight, with the main event pitting men’s champion Merab Dvalishvili against Sean O’Malley .

Dvalishvili makes his second defence of the belt here, having dethroned O’Malley with a comprehensive decision win in September, before outpointing Umar Nurmagomedov in a stunning comeback in January.

Tonight’s rematch in New Jersey is a classic striker versus grappler match-up , with “Sugar Sean” confident he can find the knockout blow that he was unable to produce in his first clash with the Georgian grappler.

And the co-main event sees the women’s bantamweight title contested, as Julianna Pena aims to extend her second reign, taking on Olympic judo champion Kayla Harrison, who previously held gold in the PFL as well.

Also in action are former Bellator champion Patchy Mix, who makes his UFC debut here, fan favourite Kevin Holland , and former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. Holland’s bout with Vicente Luque and Gastelum’s fight against Joe Pyfer are ones to follow, and we’ll have you covered with all the action, below.

UFC 316 live

• Merab Dvalishvili defends men’s bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley in main event
• Dvalishvili outpointed ‘Sugar Sean’ with ease in September to win the title
• Co-main event pits women’s bantamweight champ Julianna Pena against Kayla Harrison
• Harrison is a former Olympic judo gold medalist and PFL MMA champion
• Also: Kevin Holland vs Vicente Luque and Kelvin Gastelum vs Joe Pyfer, plus more

UFC 316 live: O’Malley accepts fans’ frustration at his title rematch

02:28 , Alex Pattle

Sean O’Malley accepts that some UFC fans are frustrated by his title shot against Merab Dvalishvili , after he was easily dethroned by the Georgian in his last fight .

“Sugar Sean vs Merab 2 is happening, and I don’t think people are going to be too happy about it,” O’Malley said in April.

“The last time I fought the best bantamweight in the world – the best bantamweight at the time [Aljamain Sterling] – I got the job done. I’m very confident in my skills.

“Last camp we had some s*** going on. I don’t want to sit here and make excuses. We had a great camp, I showed up, I was in shape, we did what we could with what we were able to do. This camp has already been a lot different, and I’m feeling good. I’m excited to go out there and take care of business.

“Last fight camp, every single journal entry was like, ‘My groin kept me up at night,’ because I tore my labrum 10 weeks before the fight. I tore my groin labrum, and I was having serious groin pain. It was super... it wasn’t ideal.”

More here:

UFC star accepts fans’ frustration at his upcoming title shot

UFC 316 LIVE: Azamat Murzakanov vs Brendson Ribeiro

02:20 , Will Castle

Round one

Ribeiro is the first to show signs of getting going as he tees off on Murzakanov with kicks.

The Brazilian is looking pretty confident, before BOOM! Murzakanov shifts the tide dramatically with a heavy left before mauling Ribeiro on the ground! It looked like he verbally tapped in the end, putting an end to the vicious ground and pound. And that’s 15-0!

Azamat Murzakanov def. Brendson Ribeiro via first-round knockout (ground strikes, 3:25)

UFC 316 LIVE: Azamat Murzakanov vs Brendson Ribeiro

02:13 , Will Castle

To light heavyweight action we go and it’s Brendson Ribeiro up against the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov.

Bruce Buffer is doing his spiel - stay tuned for all the action, up next!

UFC 316 LIVE: Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

02:03 , Will Castle

Round three

Waldo changes his shorts and rips the sides to make them more like his originals. Spivac has been told not to go for takedowns because Waldo is “too slippery”. And the third is underway.

Spivac needs to get on the attack after the second and he does just that as he launches a NUCLEAR overhand towards the skull of Cortes-Acosta. He doesn’t catch all of it but he does enough to evoke what, at first, looked like a seismic wobble from Waldo - but it’s actually completely theatrical as Waldo laughs it off.

Some more big shots come in as Waldo comes under pressure. However, he is able to survive and continues to bring the fight to Spivac.

With a minute to go, Spivac picks Waldo up and dunks him down. He gets straight back up but that nevertheless might be enough to win him the round in the judges’ eyes.

A last-gasp firefight doesn’t come to a Max Holloway-esque KO and we go to the judges.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Serghei Spivac via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

UFC 316 LIVE: Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

01:54 , Will Castle

Round two

Cortes-Acosta kicks off the second on the offensive, clipping with a right hand over the top before changing levels, jabbing at the body and chopping the wood.

They then come together and let their hands go, with Spivac testing Cortes-Acosta’s chin with a sharp right - it withstands.

Waldo is chipping away at Spivac’s resolve with his low kicks, which aren’t getting checked, but nearly gets caught with a single leg. Great takedown defence showcased to stay upright.

Safe to say both fighters are slowing down, though. We’ll go to a third.

UFC 316 LIVE: Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

01:47 , Will Castle

Round one

Cortes-Acosta starts by trying to do damage with the leg kicks but quickly falls victim to a couple big connections from Spivac that has the Dominican on the retreat!

Spivac soon gets Cortes-Acosta down and up against the cage. We already established in the previous fight that the crowd isn’t going to stand for that.

Cortes-Acosta stumbles back out of nowhere - maybe he hurt himself - but returns with a big overhand that echoes off the shiny head of Spivac.

Heavy right hand from the Polar Bear leaves something extra for the judges to mull over after the first.

UFC 316 LIVE: Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta

01:41 , Will Castle

Heavyweights in action next up as Serghei Spivac faces off against Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

Spivac comes into this off defeat to Jailton Almeida, with this acting as a big opportunity for Cortes-Acosta to break into the top 10.

The big boys are in the cage!

Gustafsson: 'I'm the least technical fighter in the UFC'

01:36 , Will Castle

“I’m the least technical fighter in the UFC, I just love a good fight and a brawl, just like the vikings,” says Gustafsson post-fight.

Not your usual brag, but I’m a fan!

UFC 316 LIVE: Khaos Williams vs Andreas Gustafsson

01:33 , Will Castle

Round three

The slapper sounds and it’s more of the same from Gustafsson. He flies in and echoes a shot off the now-bleeding Khaos before promptly getting him against the cage. Williams is just surviving at this point.

“This is a phone booth fight,” says Joe Rogan on commentary. It’s just short punches up against the fence at this point and Williams can only try to defend, his spirit being broken.

Khaos eventually gets away from the cage but he rolls into a worse position with Gustafsson on top, raining down punches as he looks to take the judges out of the equation.

The fight concludes with Gustafsson on Khaos’ back, mauling him to the final buzzer. It goes the distance, but this won’t be a tough decision for the judges to make...

Andreas Gustafsson def. Khaos Williams via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

What a debut!

UFC 316 LIVE: Khaos Williams vs Andreas Gustafsson

01:25 , Will Castle

Round two

The second gets underway and, already, Khaos is looking fatigued. Gustafsson is landing big shots and hurts him with a jab to one-two combo.

Another right pings off the chin of Williams before he finally gets taken down. From there, the American is getting mauled. He’s taken to the mat two more times before getting blasted with lefts up against the cage.

Khaos’ corner said he needed to win this round after the first. He’s just been roundly dominated.

UFC 316 LIVE: Khaos Williams vs Andreas Gustafsson

01:20 , Will Castle

Round one

Gustafsson comes flying out of the gate, making a beeline for Williams as the pair quickly trade blows, before the Swede gets Williams up against the cage.

After a chaotic start, they remain in the clinch for about 90 seconds with Williams doing well to neutralise Gustafsson’s attempts at a takedown with the underhooks. The crowd start to boo and they eventually get separated.

With airspace between the two, Gustafsson starts swinging again. He’s very reckless but he lands with a heavy left before returning to the clinch - boring for the fans, but no doubt a gruelling way to fight.

The first round ends against the cage.

UFC 316 LIVE: Khaos Williams vs Andreas Gustafsson

01:13 , Will Castle

Our first prelim proper of the night is on the way as Khaos Williams and Andreas Gustafsson make their ringwalks.

DWCS alumnus Gustafsson was the third opponent penned in to face Williams tonight, with bouts against Albert Tadevosyan and Uros Medic both cancelled.

UFC 316 LIVE: Early contender for Performance of the Night!

01:08 , Will Castle

It took just 28 seconds for Yoo Joo-sang to SLEEP Jeka Saragih in the early prelims, caught with a vicious left hook. Way to stamp your mark!

UFC 316 LIVE: Early prelim results

01:06 , Will Castle

We are underway in New Jersey! Here’s a quick recap of the results from the early prelims:

Wang Cong def. Ariane da Silva via unanimous decsion (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Yoo Joo-sang def. Jeka Saragih via first-round knockout (left hook, 0:28)

Quillan Salkilld def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

MarQuel Mederos def. Mark Choinski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

UFC 316 live: T-minus 5 minutes until regular prelims

Sunday 8 June 2025 00:56 , Alex Pattle

Okay, the regular prelims are due to begin in about five minutes.

With that, I’ll hand over to Will Castle , who will round up the early-prelim results and begin our live fight coverage!

Enjoy.

Jones: Heavyweight picture ‘sucks’ but ‘I don’t pull the strings’

Sunday 8 June 2025 00:50 , Alex Pattle

For his part, here’s what Jones had to say this week, as he hinted that he has in fact retired:

“I spoke to the UFC a long time ago about what my future plans were. I haven’t really worked out since my last fight in New York City.

“Honestly, I believe it’s been in the UFC’s best interest to keep presenting me as the company’s champion—not Tom. I’ve just been playing the role of the company man by doing nothing at all… and holding the position.

“And truthfully, it’s been incredibly lucrative. I’ve made more money off of Tom being the interim champ than Tom has himself. It sucks to see the rest of the division get slowed down like this, but that has nothing to do with me. I don’t pull the strings.

“And remember, you can’t strip a guy like me at this point I give the belt up freely. Veni, vidi, vici.”

More here:

Jon Jones: UFC heavyweight picture ‘sucks’ but ‘I don’t pull the strings’

Aspinall evaluates possible opponents after Jones retirement jibe

Sunday 8 June 2025 00:44 , Alex Pattle

“Volkov is the tallest guy in the UFC, 6f 9in,” Aspinall told The Independent . “He’s got like 45-50 pro fights, bags of experience, and he's just a good, solid all-rounder.

“He’s good everywhere, really awkward, massive. He’s seen everything except a UFC title. I think all that combined just makes him really dangerous.

“Gane’s a great mover, controls the range very well. He’s a great kicker for a big guy. He’s a former interim champion himself, he’s fought everybody apart for me at the top level basically. He’s very good.

“Almeida is a good grappler, striking we haven’t seen too much of yet, but people say the same about my grappling. People say, ‘Well, he’s not that good of a grappler,’ but I just haven’t had the chance to show it. Maybe he’s the same with his striking.

“Most of his fights are predominantly grappling-heavy, but it doesn’t mean he can't strike; he’s just not had the opportunity to show it yet.”

Tom Aspinall evaluates possible UFC opponents after Jon Jones retirement claim

Aspinall tells The Independent his Jones retirement claim 'is the truth'

Sunday 8 June 2025 00:29 , Alex Pattle

In other UFC news this week... The Independent met interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, who had this to say about his prior claim that Jon Jones, the division’s regular-title holder, has retired:

“I want to keep my job, so I don’t want to say too much, but I said what I’ve said in other interviews and stuff... People think I’m joking, but it’s the truth.

“I’m not the kind of guy to pull any media stunts or anything like that, like... What I’m saying is the truth. [The next fight] will be announced pretty soon as far as I’m aware.

“I’ve been on the sideline for almost a year and all things aside – like money, fame, titles, all the rest of it – I’m someone who absolutely loves what I do and loves fighting.

“So, for me to have the opportunity to fight again after a year of being healthy and not fighting, that just makes me happy. So, I feel good about it.”

More here:

Tom Aspinall makes vow over Jon Jones retirement jibe: ‘It’s the truth’

UFC 316 live: O’Malley to have surprise cornerman tonight

Sunday 8 June 2025 00:14 , Alex Pattle

O’Malley is set to have his father in his corner tonight, having said at Thursday’s press conference: “It’s a cool gift to be able to give your dad.

“His 60th birthday, he’s gonna be sitting there cageside, watching me fight. There’s nothing better I could give to him. I’m excited for him to be in there.”

More here:

Sean O’Malley to have surprise cornerman in UFC 316 rematch with Merab Dvalishvili

UFC 316 live: Merab’s team to warn ref about controversial O’Malley tactic

Saturday 7 June 2025 23:59 , Alex Pattle

Dvalishvili ’s coach has said the bantamweight champion ’s team will warn the referee ahead of tonight’s main event, as they aim to combat a controversial tactic used by O’Malley’s trainer.

When O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the belt in 2023, the latter appeared to bite on a deceiving shout from “Sugar Sean”’s coach Tim Welch, who cried: “Aljo, you’ve got to go!” Sterling might have believed it was his own coach shouting, but in any case, he closed range and was knocked out by O’Malley.

Welch tried the same tactic when his fighter defended the gold against Dvalishvili in September, but he was unsuccessful in two senses; Welch was warned by referee Herb Dean, and Dvalishvili cruised to a decision win to become champion .

Ahead of tonight’s rematch, the champion’s head coach, John Wood, will make sure to speak to whichever referee is appointed.

More here:

Merab Dvalishvili’s team to warn referee over controversial Sean O’Malley tactic

UFC 316 live: Odds for main and co-main event

Saturday 7 June 2025 23:29 , Alex Pattle

Dvalishvili – 4/11; O’Malley – 13/5

Pena – 9/2; Harrison – 1/6

Via Oddschecker. Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers .

The Independent vets betting sites for usability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.

UFC 316 live: Fight card in full – prelims and main card

Saturday 7 June 2025 23:14 , Alex Pattle

Main card

Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs Sean O’Malley 2 (men’s bantamweight title)

Julianna Pena (C) vs Kayla Harrison (women’s bantamweight title)

Kelvin Gastelum vs Joe Pyfer (middleweight)

Mario Bautista vs Patchy Mix (bantamweight)

Vicente Luque vs Kevin Holland (welterweight)

Prelims

Bruno Silva vs Joshua Van (flyweight)

Azamat Murzakanov vs Brendson Ribeiro (light-heavyweight)

Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta (heavyweight)

Khaos Williams vs Andreas Gustafsson (welterweight)

Early prelims

Ariane da Silva vs Wang Cong (women’s flyweight)

Jeka Saragih vs Joosang Yoo (featherweight)

Quillan Salkilld vs Yanal Ashmouz (lightweight)

Marquel Mederos vs Mark Choinski (lightweight)

UFC 316 live: How to watch tonight’s fights

Saturday 7 June 2025 22:59 , Alex Pattle

The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. Discovery+ will also air the action in the UK. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the event live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.

UFC 316 live: What time do fights start tonight?

Saturday 7 June 2025 22:44 , Alex Pattle

UFC 316 takes place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey tonight.

The early prelims are due to begin at 11pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday).

The main card is then set to start at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday).

We will begin our live fight coverage at 1am BST, when the regular prelims start; at that time, we’ll also round up the early-prelim results.

UFC 316 live: Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley 2

Saturday 7 June 2025 22:29 , Alex Pattle

UFC 316 will culminate in two bantamweight title fights tonight, with the main event pitting men’s champion Merab Dvalishvili against Sean O’Malley .

Dvalishvili makes his second defence of the belt here, having dethroned O’Malley with a comprehensive decision win in September, before outpointing Umar Nurmagomedov in a stunning comeback in January.

Tonight’s rematch in New Jersey is a classic striker versus grappler match-up , with “Sugar Sean” confident he can find the knockout blow that he was unable to produce in his first clash with the Georgian grappler.

And the co-main event sees the women’s bantamweight title contested, as Julianna Pena aims to extend her second reign, taking on Olympic judo champion Kayla Harrison, who previously held gold in the PFL as well.

Also in action are former Bellator champion Patchy Mix, who makes his UFC debut here, fan favourite Kevin Holland , and former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. Holland’s bout with Vicente Luque and Gastelum’s fight against Joe Pyfer are ones to follow, and we’ll have you covered with all the action, below.