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UFC 316 results, highlights: Merab Dvalishvili dominates, forces Sean O'Malley to tap to retain bantamweight gold

Daniel Yanofsky

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UFC 316 results, highlights: Merab Dvalishvili dominates, forces Sean O'Malley to tap to retain bantamweight gold image

The bantamweight division took over the Prudential Center at UFC 316. A new champion was crowned in New Jersey, while a reigning champion was dominant against a former one. 

In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili once again beat Sean O'Malley, forcing "Suga" to tap to retain the UFC bantamweight title. Kayla Harrison also forced Julianna Pena to submit to win bantamweight gold. 

O'Malley (18-3, 1 NC) stated he made a few lifestyle changes before the fight, not letting distractions get in the way. The new father had surgery and did adjust well at certain points, stuffing a few Dvalishvili (20–4) takedowns. 

However, Dvalishvili was too much for O'Malley to handle. 

WATCH: UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2 replay

Dvalishvili used superb boxing to clip O'Malley at several points. The takedowns he did land were massive, and his ground game was superb. The Georgian landed over 60 strikes in round three and landed multiple takedowns. The last takedown was the beginning of the end, as he forced O'Malley to submit. 

It was the thirteenth straight win for Dvalishvili and his second successful title defense. Up next for him could be Cory Sandhagen.  

Harrison (19-1) came into the UFC with a lot of hype. From the Olympics to the PFL, she believed she was the best in the world. She backed up her confidence by dominating against Pena (12-6) to win the UFC bantamweight title. 

Harrison landed multiple takedowns against Pena. In round one, Pena landed an illegal kick while Harrison's knees were on the floor. Referee Vitor Ribeiro, a former fighter, deducted a point from Pena. The points didn't end up mattering, as Harrison submitted Pena with five seconds before the end of round two. 

After the fight, Harrison called out Amanda Nunes, the former double-champion who did retire a while back. She teased her return and officially confirmed it by stepping into the octagon. It's a super fight in the making.  

Joe Pyfer was disappointed in his performance against Kelvin Gasteum but did enough to secure the win and go 5-1 in the UFC. He dropped Gastelum early and controlled the action. Gastelum looked comfortable in round three, but it was not enough to get the win. 

Pyfer has now won two straight and may have a number next to his name in the middleweight division by next week. Gastelum, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 17, is now 2-2 in his last four fights. 

Patchy Mix came into the UFC with plenty of hype. The former Bellator champion wanted to prove something. Unfortunately for him, his UFC debut was spoiled by Mario Bautista, who pummeled him for three rounds. 

Mix did not attempt a takedown, looked stiff, and did not showcase solid head movement. Bautista won via unanimous decision and has now won eight straight. Mix's seven-fight win streak has come to an end. It's unknown what's next for him following that performance. 

Vicente Luque has the most D'Arce Choke wins in UFC history. Kevin Holland walked into New Jersey and forced Luque to submit to one of his own. The loud-mouthed Holland then called out Colby Covington, saying he could beat the former interim champion. 

The Sporting News provided results, analysis, and highlights from UFC 316. 

UFC 316 results, highlights

Merab Dvalishvili forces Sean O'Malley to tap

Round three: Dvalishvili with a shot to the face, but O'Malley countered. Dvalishvili with a massive takedown. On top, Dvalishvili landed hard shots to the face. He provided top pressure and kneed O'Malley from the ground. O'Malley got back up, but Dvalishvili kneed him all over. He brought O'Malley back down and landed over 60 strikes in round three. O'Malley eventually tapped out. 

Round two: Dvalishvili with a kick to start round two. Body shot by O'Malley. Combinations by Dvalishvili. A jab by Dvalishvili followed by a right by O'Malley. Left hand by Dvalishvili. Combinations by Dvalishvili, but O'Malley stuffed a takedown attempt. Big left by O'Malley. 

Combinations by Dvalishvili. Combinations from Dvalishvili, including a massive right. A body shot connected. O'Malley blocked several takedowns. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Dvalishvili (20-18 Dvalishvili)

Round one: The fans were on their feet. O'Malley pressed forward to start. He went for a spinning kick. O'Malley landed a jab, looking looser than the last fight. Dvalishvili with a left hand. Dvalishvili with another shot that landed. O'Malley with a body shot. A shot by Dvalishvili connected and he forced O'Malley down by the cage. O'Malley got back up. 

Knees to the body by Dvalishvili. O'Malley tripped. The pace was very fast. O'Malley stuffed a takedown attempt, if just for a brief moment. Dvalishvili with some ground and pound. Elbows to the head of O'Malley. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Dvalishvili

O'Malley came out to "God Bless the USA."

The main event is up next: Merab Dvalishvili defending the UFC bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley. O'Malley believes he's healthy enough this time to win gold back. Can he take the champion out, or will Dvalishvili dominate once again? 

After the fight, Harrison called out Amanda Nunes, the former double-champion who retired a while back. She officially confirmed her return. A super fight in the making. 

Kayla Harrison dominates against Julianna Pena, becomes bantamweight champion

Round two: Harrison continued her attack, pressing forward and landing shots to Pena's face. Pena with combinations. By the cage, both women tried to take the other down. Harrison was successful in doing so. She landed elbows. Pena had a lot of pressure on her neck from Harrison's shoulder.  Pena tapped out! Harrison is the new champion! 

Round one: They touched gloves. Harrison with a head kick attempt to start. She then followed things up with a jab. Pressing forward, Harrison tried to take Pena out. Pena landed jabs. Harrison forced Pena by the cage and dropped her. Pena kept her hands active, but Harrison was forcing her down to the floor. 

Head kick by Pena while Harrison's knees were on the floor. It was an illegal kick. The referee took a point away from Pena. Wow. Right hand by Pena. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-8 Harrison

An anticipated clash between Julianna Pena and Kayla Harrison for the UFC bantamweight title is next. Pena has stated Harrison is on PEDs. Harrison exudes confidence and believes she's the future of the division. 

Joe Pyfer beats tough Kelvin Gastelum 

Pyfer won via unanimous decision but was disappointed in his performance

11:40 p.m. ET: Pyfer continued to press forward. Gastelum has a strong chin, getting hit by big shots but continuing on. Gastelum caught him with combinations. Pyfer tried to shoot to the floor and got a takedown. Pyfer with an elbow. Gastelum with a left hand and another to the body. Left hook by Gastelum. 

11:33 p.m. ET: Pyfer still had the advantage in height and distance. The first round looked like a 10-8 scoring. Pyfer continued to land hard shots. High leg kick by Pyfer. Gastelum tried to land leg kicks. He looked better, but not by much. 

11:27 p.m. ET: The size difference between the two was something to watch. Pyfer with a straight shot to Gastelum's chin. Oh my. Gastelum landed a shot to the gut. Gastelum was being pushed back. Using his size advantage, Pyfer didn't look worried. Head kick by Pyfer. Right show by Pyfer and Gastelum was hurt. 

11:17 p.m. ET: Joe Pyfer and Kelvin Gastelum are up next. 

Mario Bautista dominates against former Bellator champion Patchy Mix 

11:10 p.m. ET: The crowd was booing for some reason. Bautista continued to land the jab. Mix tried to come back with several big shots. Bautista landed combinations. Mix finally opened up in round three, but it wasn't enough to secure a win. Puzzling UFC debut.  

11 p.m. ET: Bautista continued to press forward as round two began. Mix with a few jabs and a right hand. Mix with a few combinations, and Bautista followed it up with a few shots of his own. Mix looked like he improved a bit but kept on eating shots. There was a lack of head movement by Mix, which was concerning. 

10:55 p.m. ET: Bautista started things off with leg kicks. He overwhelmed Mix early with a few punches. Mix was getting tested early. He started landing leg kicks. Bautista with a few leg kicks. He went for Mix's body. Mix attempted to get in some offense, but he clearly lost the round. 

10:46 p.m. ET: Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix is next. Mix, a former Bellator champion, is ready to make a statement. 

10:38 p.m. ET: Mark Kerr will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. This comes before the new “The Smashing Machine” movie featuring The Rock comes out. 

Electric Kevin Holland submits Vicente Luque

10:30 p.m. ET: Holland locked in a choke and Luque tapped out right when round two started. He could either be the most frustrating fighter of all time or give you a performance of a lifetime. Holland definitely did the latter. 

10:27 p.m. ET: Holland talked right away as the fight began. Luque tried to attack from all fronts, but Holland hurt him on the inside. Holland backed Luque up with vicious shots. Luque stunned Holland with a left hook. 

10:15 p.m. ET: Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland opens the show. 

10 p.m. ET: The main card has started. 

President Trump arrived at UFC 316 next to Dana White. 

9:55 p.m. ET: Silva got put down several times. He was a bloody mess in round two. Van would not give him a chance to breathe. Silva was aggressive in round three, attempting to form some comeback. Backed up by the cage, Silva was brought down again with shots, and the referee saw enough. What a performance from Van. 

9:38 p.m. ET: Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van in flyweight action headlines the prelims. 

9:18 p.m. ET: Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro is up next. Murzakanov pummeled Ribeiro for a quick stoppage in round one. Murzakanov landed shots to his temple that had his opponent down and out. 

9:03 p.m. ET: Spivac had Cortes-Acosta by the cage in round three. Through three rounds, both were exhausted. Cortes-Acosta decided to let loose with his hands. They exchanged blows in the middle of the ring in the final minute. Cortes-Acosta beat Spivac via unanimous decision. Not many agreed with that outcome. 

8:41 p.m. ET: Serghei Spivac vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta is next. 

8:36 p.m. ET: Williams had nothing for Gustafsson. Finally on the floor, Gustafsson landed elbows to a tired Williams. Gustafsson won via a clear unanimous decision scoring. 

8:28 p.m. ET: Gustafsson was relentless by the cage, forcing Williams to retreat several times. Williams was hit with elbows to the chin. He was bleeding by the eye and way down on the cards. Daniel Cormier was right when he said Gustafsson was setting the terms of the fight. 

8:12 p.m. ET: Khaos Williams vs. Andreas Gustafsson opens the main card. 

8 p.m. ET: The prelims have started. 

7:56 p.m. ET: Wang Cong utilized her incredible boxing skills to overwhelm da Silva. "The Joker" won via unanimous decision. 

7:30 p.m. ET: Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong is next to end the early prelims. 

7:15 p.m. ET: Joo-sang Yoo landed a massive knockout in the first round. Wow! It was a counter shot. That was brutal. He won and honored The Korean Zombie. 

7:07 p.m. ET: Jeka Saragih vs. Joo-sang Yoo is next. 

7:03 p.m. ET: Quillan Salkilld defeated Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision.

6:40 p.m. ET: Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz is next. 

6:35 p.m. ET: Mederos defeated Mark Choinski via unanimous decision. 

6:15 p.m. ET: The first fight of the early prelims was MarQuel Mederos vs. Mark Choinski

There are rumors President Donald Trump will appear at UFC 316. 

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of UFC 316! 

UFC 316 results

Main Card

  • Merab Dvalishvili (c) def. Sean O'Malley via submission for the UFC bantamweight title (4:42 into round three)
  • Kayla Harrison def. Julianna Pena (c) via kimura for the UFC bantamweight title (4:55 into round two) 
  • Joe Pyfer def. Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)
  • Mario Bautista def. Patchy Mix via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) 
  • Kevin Holland def. Vicente Luque via D'Arce Choke (1:03 into round two) 

Prelims

  • Joshua Van def. Bruno Gustavo da Silva via TKO (4:01 into round three)
  • Azamat Murzakanov def. Brendson Ribeiro via TKO (3:25 into round one)
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Serghei Spivac via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Andreas Gustafsson def. Khaos Williams via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26)

Early Prelims

  • Wang Cong def. Ariane da Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Yoo Joo-sang def. Jeka Saragih via KO (0:28 into round one)
  • 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)

Daniel Yanofsky

Daniel Yanofsky is the Combat Sports Editor for The Sporting News since late 2021. Prior to working for TSN, Daniel provided insight on combat sports for Fightful, FIGHT SPORTS, and Wrestling Inc. A proud Ithaca College alum, when he isn’t working on his golf game, Daniel is advocating for three-minute rounds in women's boxing.

You can follow him on Twitter via @DanYanofsky.