Two Title Clashes Top the Card as UFC Returns to New Jersey

The UFC returns to Newark, New Jersey this Saturday for its annual visit, as the Prudential Center hosts UFC 316.

The event is set to be headlined by two massive bantamweight title fights. In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili will look to defend his crown against the man he dethroned at UFC 306 last September — Sean O’Malley.

In the co-main event, former two-time PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison takes on current women’s bantamweight titleholder Julianna Peña, who reclaimed the 135-pound title by defeating Raquel Pennington in her last outing.

Let’s take a look at the fights making up this Saturday night’s main card.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley (UFC Bantamweight Championship)

Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) aims to extend his impressive 12-fight win streak when he faces O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC). With 11 of those wins at 135 pounds, “The Machine” currently holds the longest winning streak in UFC bantamweight history.

Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling and incredible cardio will be key factors in how this fight plays out. The Georgian owns the record for the most takedowns in UFC history (92), as well as the most in bantamweight history (79).

On the other side, if O’Malley knocks out the champion on Saturday, he will tie T.J. Dillashaw for the most knockout finishes in bantamweight history (7). “Suga” also holds the division records for most fight-night bonuses (9) and highest significant strike accuracy (61.5%).

Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison (UFC Bantamweight Championship)

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) looks to make history in just her third UFC appearance when she challenges Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in the co-main event.

Having added PFL world titles to her résumé in 2019 and 2021, Harrison dropped two weight classes to pursue her dream of winning UFC gold. If she defeats Peña, she will join Henry Cejudo as the only Olympic gold medalists to also capture a UFC title. As the only multi-time Olympic champion to ever compete in the Octagon, a victory would further solidify her claim as the greatest combat sports athlete in history.

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer (Middleweight Bout)

Former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum (19-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) returns once again to the middleweight division after continued struggles making the 170-pound limit. Since defeating Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in May 2018, Gastelum has lost five of his last seven fights at 185 pounds.

He faces rising contender Joe Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who has finished all four of his UFC victories inside the distance and boasts 12 stoppage wins overall in his professional career.

Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix (Bantamweight Bout)

Former Bellator champion Patchy Mix (20-1) makes his long-awaited UFC debut this weekend when he faces Mario Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). “No Love” compiled an impressive résumé in Bellator, earning finishes over notable opponents such as James Gallagher, Kyoji Horiguchi, Magomed Magomedov, and Sergio Pettis.

Bautista enters the bout riding a seven-fight win streak at 135 pounds. He was last seen at UFC 307 in October, where he earned a split-decision victory over Jose Aldo.

Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland (Welterweight Bout)

Two veterans square off in the main card opener as Vicente Luque (23-10-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) looks to secure the 15th stoppage win of his UFC career—an achievement that would tie him with Matt Brown for the most finishes in welterweight history.

Standing in his way is a resurgent Kevin Holland (27-13 MMA, 13-10 UFC), who holds the record for the most UFC wins (14) by any fighter signed from Dana White’s Contender Series.

Paul Browne

Paul Browne is a professional mixed martial arts commentator, feature writer and podcaster based in Dublin, Ireland.