UFC 316: Dvalishvili-O’Malley 2 set for June 7 in Newark

UFC returns to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on June 7 with another stacked card headlined by blockbuster championship bouts.

In the main event, reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili rematches with former title holder and No. 1 ranked contender Sean O’Malley(ESPN+ PPV).

The co-main event will see women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena defend her newly won belt against No. 2 ranked Kayla Harrison.

UFC 316 returns to Prudential Center after setting the venue’s live sporting event gate record in 2024 with UFC® 302 headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier. 

Dvalishvili (19-4), fighting out of Long Island, N.Y. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia) looks to leave no doubt that he is the best bantamweight on the planet. The first Georgian-born champion in UFC history, Dvalishvili is currently on an 11-fight win streak, the longest in UFC bantamweight history, which includes victories over Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo. He now intends to etch his name further into record books with another dominant performance.

Former champion O’Malley (18-2, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.) makes his return to the Octagon for the first time since dropping the title to Dvalishvili last September. An elite and exciting striker with the most post-fight bonuses in UFC bantamweight history (9), he has entertained fans with the finishes of Aljamain Sterling, Raulian Paiva, and Kris Moutinho. O’Malley now plans to regain UFC gold by taking out Dvalishvili with a vintage showing.

Pena (12-5, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) seeks to make her second reign as bantamweight champion. Pena, the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter, holds notable wins over former UFC champions Amanda Nunes, Raquel Pennington, and Nicco Montano. She now looks to make her biggest statement yet by handing Harrison her first loss in the UFC.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo for the United States, Harrison (18-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) has her sights set on adding UFC gold to her impressive resume. Harrison has earned impressive wins over former champion Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira in her short time as part of the UFC roster.

Current bouts also on the card include:

• No. 7 ranked bantamweight contender Marlon Vera (23-10-1, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador) looks to halt the momentum of No. 10 Mario Bautista (15-2, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.)

• Thrilling welterweight actions pits No. 14 ranked contender Vicente Luque (23-10-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) against Kevin Holland (27-13, 1NC, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas)

• An exciting flyweight bout pits No. 12 ranked contender Bruno Silva (14-6-2 1NC, fighting out of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil) against No. 14 Joshua Van (14-2, fighting out of Houston, Texas)

• Light heavyweight action sees No. 10 ranked contender Johnny Walker (21-9 1NC, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland, by way of Rio das Ostras, Brazil) take on undefeated No. 12 ranked Azamat Murzakanov (14-0, fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. by way of Nalchik, Russia)

• No. 14 ranked flyweight contender Ariane da Silva (17-10, fighting out of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against Wang Cong (7-1, fighting out of Shanghai, China)