Quick results
Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via Submission,North South Choke (RD 3, 4:42) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
- Kayla Harrison def. Julianna Pena via Submission, Kimura (RD 2, 4:55) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
- Joe Pyfer def. Kelvin Gastelum via Decision, Unanimous
- Mario Bautista def. Patchy Mix via Decision, Unanimous
- Kevin Holland def. Vicente Luque via Submission, D’Arce Choke (RD 2, 1:03)
Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPN / ESPN+)
- Joshua Van def. Bruno Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:01)
- Azamat Murzakanov def. Brendson Ribeiro via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:25)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Serghei Spivac via Decision, Unanimous
- Andreas Gustafsson def. Khaos Williams via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims (6 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
- Wang Cong def. Ariane da Silva via Decision, Unanimous
- Yoo Joo-sang def. Jeka Saragih via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:28)
- Quillan Salkilld def. Yanal Ashmouz via Decision, Unanimous
- MarQuel Mederos def. Mark Choinski via Decision, Unanimous
Merab Dvalishvili taps Sean O’Malley in rematch to continue bantamweight title reign
Merab Dvalishvili is still on top of the bantamweight division.
The Georgian UFC star retained his 135-pound championship on Saturday night, scoring a rare finish win when he faced off against Sean O’Malley in a rematch. The submission victory for Dvalishvili headlined UFC 316 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this weekend.
A controlling third round on the mat from Dvalishvili came to a sudden end with just seconds to spare, as he caught O’Malley with a North South Choke on the ground.
Dvalishvili scored a takedown 30 seconds into the stanza and spent a majority of the round chipping away at O’Malley with ground and pound shots. After O’Malley worked back up to his feet, Dvalishvili scored another takedown, setting up for the fight-ending choke in with less than 30 seconds to go.
While it was a successful performance from Dvalishvili in earlier rounds of the bout as well, the bout was far from a one-sided mauling. O’Malley kept the title fight competitive, proving to have solid striking and showing resistance to the champ’s wrestling-focused gameplan.
O’Malley showed an ability to shut down takedowns from Dvalishvili during the second round, forcing the bout to remain on the feet for the entire five-minute frame. However, an advancing Dvalishvili was able to seemingly have the edge in striking exchanges, landing two-punch combinations throughout the round that overall gave him a higher output than O’Malley.
The first round, which had the flow of a feeling-out process, saw Dvalishvili lean on his takedowns to control nearly half of the bout on the ground.
The submission win for Dvalishvili, his first stoppage since a 2021 victory over Marlon Moraes, continues his impressive reign in the 135-pound division.
Dvalishvili initially started his run against O’Malley last September, using his wrestling to end the American’s time as champ with a five-round decision inside the Sphere. He then returned earlier this year to hand Umar Nurmagomedov his first pro loss, mounting a late comeback to snag an impressive scorecard win.
The Serra-Longo-trained Dvalishvili now joins Aljamain Sterling, TJ Dillashaw, and Dominick Cruz as the only undisputed bantamweight champs in UFC history to have defended their title twice or more.
O’Malley was making his first appearance since losing his title last year. He’s now on the first-ever two-fight skid of his career.
After his win, Dvalishvili was pointed towards a potential fight against fourth-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen. The long-time bantamweight stand-out and former interim title challenger has won four of his last five appearances, most recently beating sixth-ranked Deiveson Figueiredo last month.
Dvalishvili liked the potential matchup: “You are the man,” he said to Sandhangen, who was in attendance.
Kayla Harrison wins bantamweight title, setting up for super-fight against Amanda Nunes
Olympian, multi-time PFL season winner, and now UFC Champion.
Kayla Harrison closed out a dominant showing against Julianna Pena in just two rounds, making her the new women’s bantamweight champion in Saturday’s co-main event.
Dominant ground control from Harrison led to a kimura submission with just moments left in the second round of the fight. Cranking on an arm of Pena, a tap emerged with just five seconds to go, causing an end to the bout.
Both rounds followed a similarly one-sided style for Harrison: After being the advancing fighter on the feet, she would find a body lock for a takedown. Once getting the fight to the ground, Harrison used her control to land strikes and also search for submissions.
Even if a finish hadn’t emerged in the second, Harrison was comfortably ahead on scorecards after nearly 10 minutes. Along with winning the two rounds, her lead was extended by a point deduction Pena suffered in the opening round due to illegal upkicks while Harrison was deemed a grounded opponent.
Oddsmakers almost saw a victory for title challenger Harrison as a foregone conclusion this weekend, as she was projected to be a massive -700 favorite on some sportsbooks.
Harrison came into this weekend following a highly successful career in the PFL, winning numerous seasons in higher divisions. After joining the UFC roster in 2024 and transitioning down to the bantamweight class, Harrison became the next title challenger after two impressive wins, beating Ketlen Vieira and Holly Holm.
Now with the title in her possession, Harrison is expected to have her next fight against Amanda Nunes, one of the most decorated women’s MMA fighters of all time. If booked, it could be one of the biggest matchups the division has seen in years.
Nunes, who previously held the bantamweight title for a combined 2,306 days, announced earlier this week that she would make her return to MMA. She had already revealed her intention to take on the winner of Saturday’s co-main event, no matter who prevailed.
The future UFC Hall of Famer went face-to-face with Harrison after the title fight this weekend, having a friendly encounter which confirmed they were both willing to meet in the cage soon.
“I have a belt, she has a legacy. Let’s put it together,” Harrison said about a potential fight against her former American Top Team training partner.
Pena, a massive underdog in the co-main event, was hoping to defend the bantamweight title for the first time since kicking off her second reign last fall. She earned the belt at UFC 307 in October through a close five-round split decision, overcoming Raquel Pennington.
Joe Pyfer doesn’t find finish in commanding stand-up battle
Joe Pyfer had a much harder night at the office than many initially expected.
While a pair of early knockdowns against Kelvin Gastelum made it seem like Pyfer was en route to an early finish, the tough UFC vet remained in the fight and even started to piece together shots of his own. However, in the end, it was Pyfer who took the unanimous decision victory.
In the opening round, hard right hands from Pyfer got Gastelum to the mat twice with punches. The first knockdown emerged just seconds into the fight, and another came muchlater in the round.
Pyfer remained ahead in the fight as the bout went past the second round, continuing to score with thudding punches to Gastelum. However, as he cruised through the fight, fewer big moments arrived for Pyfer. Unlike the opening round, Gastelum didn’t seem to be in immediate danger of being stopped.
While a scorecard victory was out of the question for Gastelum by the third, he made the performance from Pyfer much less impressive by beginning to have his own moments. Gastelum put together his own hard combinations against Pyfer, giving the middleweight up-and-comer more trouble as the fight neared its end.
Pyfer expressed frustration with his performance afterward, noting that he wanted to get Gastelum out before the third round expired.
“I didn’t get the finish guys,” he said. “I’m sorry, but, I was fighting a veteran … I could’ve gotten the finish. I was just too respectful of his chin.”
While the bout didn’t go as he wanted, Pyfer moved his UFC record to a strong five wins and one loss with his victory on Saturday. The Contender Series alum was coming back for the first time in nearly a year, with his previous fight being a 85-second win over Marc-Andre Barriault.
Pyfer was originally scheduled to take on Gastelum at UFC’s Mexico City card on March 29, although the bout was cancelled after he suffered an illness.
Gastelum, who arguably has taken a gatekeeper role at middleweight over the past few years, is now back to the drawing board. His previous appearance was a scorecard victory over Daniel Rodriguez in 2024.
Former Bellator champ Patchy Mix drops UFC debut to Mario Bautista
Mario Bautista spoiled the UFC debut of former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Patchy Mix, putting together a three-round striking masterclass to win via unanimous decision.
Bautista gained an early lead in his fight against hyped UFC arrival Mix, then remained the more active and accurate striker as the bout became more competitive.
Mix had a slow start in the fight, getting touched up with hard straight shots from Bautista for a large portion of the opening round. Bautista frequently switched between going to both the head and body of Mix with his jabs and cross punches, keeping him guessing.
Mix started to increase his output by the second, although the boxing of Bautista only continued to dramatically snap his head back. The former champ was able to seemingly stun Bautista in the closing round of the fight and score meaningful shots, but it wasn’t enough to overshadow the high output of strikes that Bautista maintained until the very end.
After three rounds, Bautista claimed a perfect 30-27 score on two of the three official cards.
Mix entered this weekend with the hype of a highly successful run in Bellator, holding the promotion’s bantamweight title while getting past notable names like Magomed Magomedov, Sergio Pettis, and Raufeon Stots.
After a long stretch of inactivity in the PFL, which acquired Bellator a year and a half ago, he was able to escape his deal with the promotion and join the UFC roster. A win on Saturday would’ve broken him into the bantamweight division’s top 10 upon debut.
Instead, it was another big performance for the rising Bautista on Saturday night. The 31-year-old has now earned eight wins since 2022, including past victories over names like Jose Aldo and Ricky Simon.
Kevin Holland earns second win since returning to welterweight
We’re not even past the halfway point of the year, and Kevin Holland already has two wins over veteran UFC names.
Holland added a 10th submission win to his pro record in the opening main card bout of the night, tapping out 23-fight UFC vet Vicente Luque in the second round with a D’Arce Choke.
Early in the second frame, Holland was able to catch a leg of Luque for a takedown. As Luque attempted to work back up to his feet, Holland slipped in a D’Arce Choke, going back down to the mat as he kept the submission applied. A tap then emerged a little over a minute into the round, calling an end to the contest.
Holland had the better moments in a competitive first round before the finish, being the more damaging fighter in a frame that primarily took place on the feet. He landed a long series of punches while fighting off a takedown attempt from Luque in the opening minute, then later caused significant swelling on the Brazilian talent’s head with a hard elbow while exiting a clinch.
A cocky Holland was talking to Luque throughout the fight. He mentioned afterward that he had been watching a Muhammad Ali movie this week, which inspired the attitude.
Holland has now picked up back-to-back wins since moving back down to the welterweight limit a few months ago. After spending a year up at 185 pounds, he returned to 170 in March with a decision win over Gunnar Nelson.
He hopes to remain in the class for his upcoming fights, and plans to face a “sorry” Colby Covington next. “I think I can stay here at 170 and make some noise,” he said in his post-fight interview.
Luque was riding the momentum of a 52-second submission win over Themba Gorimbo from last December and was hoping to put together a two-fight win streak for the first time since 2021.
Prelim results: Azamat Murzakanov earns quickest UFC win yet, Yoo Joo-sang debuts with faceplant KO
A one-sided beatdown from Joshua Van came to an end in the final minutes of his flyweight outing, dropping Bruno Silva with a right hand before ending the bout with ground and pound. Van was way ahead in the fight right before the finish, scoring a trio of knockdowns in earlier minutes of the battle. 23-year-old Van is expected to move up a few spots in the flyweight rankings after picking up his fourth consecutive win in the UFC cage.
Rising light heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov had one of his most impressive UFC showings yet, putting away Brendson Ribeiro in the first round with damaging blows. The undefeated Russian dropped Ribeiro halfway through the opening round, setting up for a long series of ground and pound shots from top position, which eventually led to the finish. 14th-ranked Murzakanov has scored five wins since entering the UFC in 2022, with four coming via stoppage due to strikes. He called for a five-round assignment in his next booking.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta continued his climb up the heavyweight rankings, working a tiring three rounds on the feet against Serghei Spivac to win via unanimous decision. The decision was disputed by many, with some seeing that Spivac’s boxing, which significantly rocked Cortes-Acosta in the final round, earned him at least two of the three frames on scorecards. 10 of the 13 media scorecards uploaded to MMADecisions.com see Spivac as the winner of the bout. Nonetheless, the performance should move him into the heavyweight top 10 and will extend his win streak to five in a row.
Sweden’s Andreas Gustafsson was nothing short of dominant in his short-notice UFC debut against 10-fight promotional vet Khaos Williams, putting together a grinding three-round performance to win on scorecards. Gustafsson controlled large parts of the bout with controlling positions in the clinch and on the mat, using such locations to cut Williams open with strikes hard strikes. Contender Series alum Gustafsson had to wait a long time for his UFC debut, as three previously scheduled fights fell through earlier this year before finally getting to face Williams on Saturday.
Kickboxer Wang Cong moved to a UFC record of 3-1 on Saturday, out-landing Ariane da Silva in a three-round stand-up battle. While da Silva put together a fair amount of her own shots, it was the superior striking from Wang, most importantly leg kicks, which put her ahead early. It’s likely that Wang will break into the flyweight rankings after beating da Silva, who entered this weekend placed 13th in the division. Da Silva, who had a significant weight miss, is now on the first three-fight skid of her pro career.
Undefeated Korean featherweight Yoo Joo-sang scored about as big of a UFC debut as one could wish for, sending Jeka Saragih tumbling in only 28 seconds with a face-planting counter left hook knockout. Yoo was signed to the UFC after having a similarly quick win in his last regional appearance, beating Road To UFC alum Masuto Kawana in just 75 seconds at The Korean Zombie’s Z Fight Night promotion. He now has nine wins since his 2021 pro debut.
In a polar opposite to his UFC debut, a 19-second win earlier this year, Quillan Salkilld went the distance against Yanal Ashmouz for a scorecard victory. Salkilld got ahead early with two rounds of crafty striking along with relentless wrestling, getting Ashmouz to the mat over half a dozen times. The 25-year-old Australian prospect had to survive a tough round against Ashmouz, who proved to be the fresher fighter late, causing the Australian to get stunned with a few hard punches.
MarQuel Mederos opened the night with a solid three-round showcase on the feet, using his quick and accurate stand-up skills to hand former APFC Lightweight Champion Mark Choinski his first pro loss via unanimous decision. The wide variety of shots from Mederos landed at a high clip, although it was the calf kicks in particular that hurt Choinski the most, dropping him three times throughout the bout. Mederos has now pieced together three wins since entering the UFC roster in early 2024.
