Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC Bantamweight title for the second time with the bright -awaited Rematch with Sean O'Malley on UFC 316.
The world champion won the title on UFC 306, when Merab Dvalishvili Sean O'Malley defeated with a unanimous decision in Riyad, Saudi -Arabia.
Dvalishvili did the same with Umar Nurmagomedov in January before he started this Rematch in New Jersey.
With Conor McGregor who supports Dvalishvili, the Georgian will have every confidence in his second UFC Bantamweight title defense.
However, he will have to fight a man with a huge advantage if he still wants to run the New Jersey champion.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Elsewhere, the Co-Main event of the map Julianna Pena Battle Kayla Harrison sees for the Bantamweight title of the UFC Ladies.
Pena became two-time champion in her first battle in two years when she defeated Raquel Pennington on UFC 307, but will have a tough task against American judo expert Harrison in New Jersey.
Here is everything you need to know about what promises to be a fantastic evening of MMA action on UFC 316.
What time does UFC 316 start?
UFC 316 takes place in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 7, 2025
The event is expected to start with the early preliminaries at 6:00 pm (ET), 3:00 PM (PT) and 11:00 pm (BST).
Then the preliminaries at 8:00 pm (ET), 5:00 PM (PT) and 01:00 am (BST).
Following from this, the main map arrives at 10 p.m., 7 p.m. (PT) and 3:00 AM (BST).
How to view UFC 316 and live stream?
In the US, the UFC 316 early prelims will be available to view on the UFC Fight Pass from 18:00 (ET). The preliminary rounds can be viewed on ESPN, while both the prelims and the main map can be streamed via ESPN+. The PPV costs viewers $ 79.99.
In the United Kingdom, fans can view the UFC 316 prelims through the UFC Fight Pass from 11 p.m. (BST) before they switch to TNT sports from 1 p.m. (BST) for the coverage of the main map.
UFC 316 – Who fights?
Main map
- Bantam weight: Merab dvalishvili vs Sean O'Malley
- Bantam weight for women: Julianna Pena vs Kayla Harrison
- Welterweight: Vicente Luque vs Kevin Holland
- Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum vs Joe Pyferer
- Bantam weight: Marlon Vera vs Mario Bautista
- Fly weight: Bruno Silva vs Joshua van van van van van van van
- Fly weight for women: Ariane da Silva vs Wang Cong
- Light heavyweight: Johnny Walker vs Azamat Murzakanov
More battles are added to the main map and the prelims as we get closer to UFC 316.
Sean O'Malley admits that he forced his aversion to Merab Dvalishvili for their first fight
While some UFC hunters really hate each other for their face-off in the octhoek, the feud on the screen between O'Malley and Dvalishvili was not really.
O'Malley admitted so much in an interview with Ariel Helwani prior to their UFC 316 Rematch, and actually claimed that he has grown to like his opponent in the months since their collision.
O'Malley said: “I feel like the first Merab fight, I didn't want to like him, because as a fan I enjoy it when two hunters don't necessarily love each other and are beef there, I enjoy that.
“So I felt that I wanted to create that, and it was not very authentic because I like Merab. I met him a few times, he is a nice guy, it's nothing. He is on his way to do his own thing, so I don't know if that has influenced his performance or what, but I don't mind.”
O'Malley will try to get the UFC Bantamweight title back from DvalishVili on UFC 316.