Merab Dvalishvili retained his 135-pound championship when he tapped out Sean O’Malley in the third round in the main event of UFC 316 at the Prudential Center.

Merab Dvalishvili could be in the pound-for-pound mix after a dominant performance at UFC 316. While he may have had to wait a while for his opportunity last year, Dvalishvili is certainly making the most of his chance to build a strong legacy on the bantamweight throne.

Sean O'Malley may have made a crucial error that lead to his submission loss to Merab Dvalishvili in their UFC 316 rematch.

UFC 316 set the foundation for some of the next title fights we'll see in the future, as Merab Dvalishvili beat Sean O'Malley to retain the men's bantamweight title and Kayla Harrison knocked off Julianna Peña to claim the women's bantamweight championship.

After a slightly disappointing 2-3 result for our best bets for UFC 314, our 2025 record sits at 14-9. We'll look to continue our roll on Saturday, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better. Let's take a look at this week's picks.

Dvalishvili, despite English not being his first language, has found a way to connect with fans thanks to his friendly demeanor and his humbleness — not to mention the silly social-media videos he frequently produces, a staple of the lead-up to his capture of O’Malley’s UFC gold last September that returned ahead of their rematch.

UFC 316 goes down Saturday night with two championship fights atop the bill, and MMA Junkie Radio's "Gorgeous" George and "Goze" will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 8 p.m. ET.

Two bantamweight championships are up for grabs tonight in Newark, New Jersey, when Merab Dvalishvili puts his belt on the line against Suga Sean O’Malley and Julianna Pena defends against Kayla Harrison in the co-main events.