Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley effortlessly in the main event of UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, securing a third-round modified choke in their rematch to retain the bantamweight championship.
With United States President Donald Trump watching from cageside on Saturday night, Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA) emphatically displayed his wrestling base to tire out the former champion and make an argument as one of the sport’s best bantamweights, perhaps of all time.
Dvalishvili, who won at 4:42 of the third round for his 13th consecutive victory, said he would welcome his next title defence against Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA), a winner of four of his last five fights.
“You’re the man, let’s go,” Dvalishvili said, indicating that he would be interested in fighting Sandhagen next.
O’Malley (18-3 MMA) fell to Dvalishvili last September by unanimous decision, relinquishing his title. O’Malley confirmed the loss is a minor setback, reassuring of a steady return.
“100 percent, thank you guys for coming out,” O’Malley said.
The women’s bantamweight title changed hands in the co-main event, as Kayla Harrison submitted Julianna Pena with a second-round kimura, a submission technique also known as the double wristlock or reverse keylock.
Harrison and Pena embraced in the Octagon afterwards, showing utmost class for one another after the 34-year-old controlled every aspect of the fight.
Harrison said during her post-fight interview that her weight cut was so draining on Thursday night that she “wanted to quit”, but it would have been a mistake in her eyes, given that most fighters in MMA do not win a UFC title.
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