This is the UFC 316 live blog for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, the main card bantamweight championship bout Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The champion Dvalishvili is currently No. 4 in the Pound-for-Pound rankings, with O’Malley hanging on to a spot at No. 19.
Dvalishvili (19-4) defends his title for the second time following a successful defense against the previously undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov this past January. He won the belt with a unanimous decision nod over O’Malley at UFC 306 and is currently on a 12-fight win streak. The seemingly indomitable Georgian looks to make it a lucky 13 and further establish himself as an all-time great with another strong performance against O’Malley.
For O’Malley (18-2, 1 NC), this could be a do-or-die opportunity as far as his championship hopes go. “Suga” has not competed since his first encounter with Dvalishvili at nine months ago, taking his time to recover from hip surgery and make a few key lifestyle changes, including no longer smoking marijuana. He had won nine of his first 11 UFC fights before running into Dvalishvili and now has a second chance to overcome his personal boogeyman.
Check out the UFC 316 live blog for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2 below.
