Nine months removed from a dominant decision victory over Sean O’Malley to claim his first world title, Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to go two-up on ‘Sugar’ when they run it back at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey.
In September, ‘The Machine’ beat O’Malley from pillar to post en route to becoming the new bantamweight champion. Since then, he’s added a successful defense to his resume, defeating the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov. Now, he’ll look to put away a new and improved O’Malley in one of the most anticipated rematches of 2025.
Round 1
O’Malley takes the center of the Octagon and opens things with a spinning back kick to the body of Dvalishvili. The crowd is very much behind O’Malley, and Dvalishvili puts on pressure, attempting to back O’Malley against the fence. Dvalishvili throws a combination, but he’s just out of range, and O’Malley stays on his back foot. Dvalishvili lands a left hand, and O’Malley responds with a body shot. Dvalishvili appears to catch O’Malley with a left hand that puts ‘Sugar’ on the mat.
O’Malley jumps on his man, but O’Malley works his way back up and stays upright courtesy of a couple of blatant fence grabs. O’Malley finally frees himself with 90 seconds to go, but eats a left hook almost immediately. Dvalishvili shoots in for a double leg against the fence. O’Malley gets an underhook in, but Dvalishvili picks up O’Malley and puts his back on the mat.
Dvalishvili rains down some ground and pound strikes near the fence until the horn sounds, bringing an end to the opening round.
Round 2
Dvalishvili throws a high kick. O’Malley tries to respond with another spinning back kick, but he’s out of range. O’Malley rips to the body, but Dvalishvili counters with a combination that connects clean. O’Malley comes right back with a stiff right hand. O’Malley with a body kick up the middle. Dvalishvili throws a left in return. Dvalishvili wings a series of punches, trying to punch his way into a takedown attempt, but O’Malley sees it coming and circles away.
The pace has slowed a bit with Dvalishvili chasing O’Malley around the Octagon. O’Malley lands a right hand, but Dvalishvili throws one of his own that lands. O’Malley throws a right to the body, but that opens him up for a counter, and Dvalishvili takes full advantage of it, landing with a nice right hand. Dvalishvili tries to shoot in for another takedown, but O’Malley stays upright, much to the delight of the live crowd.
O’Malley connects with another right, and Dvalishvili goes on the attack for the final 10 seconds, but he fails to land anything substantial.
Round 3
Dvalishvili shoots early for a takedown and O’Malley defends, landing a right hand on the break. But that doesn’t deter Dvalishvili from shooting for another takedown. This time, he lifts O’Malley off the mat and sends him crashing to the canvas, immediately settling into O’Malley’s guard. Dvalishvili is maintaining control as O’Malley desperately tries to inch himself toward the fence. O’Malley gives up his back and manages to get upright. Dvalishvili keeps his grip locked and forces O’Malley to take a knee.
O’Malley stands up again, but Dvalishvili quickly trips him, pinning his back to the cage wall. That’s good for O’Malley, who wall-walks his way back up, but he gets returned to the mat almost immediately. O’Malley is working hard to get up, but appears to have given up his neck. Dvalishvili cinches in an anaconda choke that forces O’Malley to tap out.
Official Result: Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via submission (anaconda choke) at 4:42 of Round 3.
Check Out Highlights From Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley at UFC 316:
AND STILL 🏆
MERAB SUBMITS O’MALLEY 😮 #UFC316 pic.twitter.com/hrKi5RyrsD
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 8, 2025
AAAAAAAND STILLLLLLL!
MERAB THE MACHINE SUBMITS SEAN O’MALLEY! @SpinninBackfist https://t.co/oUMNznSxaq
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 8, 2025
As soon as Merab Dvalishvili won his fight, he rushed over to say hi to President Trump. pic.twitter.com/4CO6a0xwOi
— George (@BehizyTweets) June 8, 2025
MERAB JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!! 💯#UFC316 | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/8vtK8v1ZCl
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) June 8, 2025
I think I just became a Merab Dvalishvili fan. He took the mic and thanked Trump for coming to his fight.
“What a good moment. We have Mr. President Donald Trump here in the building. LET’S GO!”
Congratulations to this guy. He’s an excellent champion. pic.twitter.com/SjPzYqyMIu
— George (@BehizyTweets) June 8, 2025
