UFC 316 is set to feature a highly anticipated rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. In addition, Julianna Pena will defend her bantamweight championship against Kayla Harrison. These exciting matchups will headline the event on June 7th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
UFC CEO Dana White announced these new main and co-main event fights.
Dvalishvili will be aiming for his second title defense at 135 pounds. His previous victory was a dominant five-round win against Umar Nurmagomedov in January. Prior to that, Dvalishvili captured the bantamweight title by defeating O’Malley at UFC 306 in Las Vegas.
Despite not competing since his loss to Dvalishvili, O’Malley will get an immediate opportunity to reclaim the title in this rematch in June.
In the co-main event, Pena returns after a close decision victory over Raquel Pennington, which made her a two-time UFC bantamweight champion. Pena has a strong record of 3 wins and 1 loss in her last four fights, including a significant win over Amanda Nunes in 2021 to initially become champion.
Her opponent, Harrison, is a decorated two-time Olympic champion. After joining the UFC as a free agent from PFL, Harrison quickly secured two victories against Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira, earning her a shot at the UFC title.
Harrison`s professional record stands at 18-1, and she will be looking to add the UFC championship to her achievements when she faces Pena in June.
