The fight at UFC 316 was a title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley. When the two previously fought on September 14, 2024 Merab won to capture the bantamweight championship. During UFC 316, Merab dominated the fight with relentless wrestling, having O'Malley spend much of the fight on the ground and outstriking him overwhelmingly. In fact Merab outstruck O'Malley 214-49 in the fight. The result was a victory in Merab's favor, crowning him the victor of his class in UFC 316.
Both men fought in the interim before UFC 316. Merab defended his title against Umar Nurmagomedov in January 18, 2025, picking up a Fight of the Night bonus for his efforts in yet another dominant outing. Meanwhile, O'Malley waited, recovered and trained. The rematch had plenty on the line: Merab wanted to solidify his legacy as champion by defeating O'Malley for the second time and O'Malley wanted to reclaim gold and avenge his loss.
UFC 316 Main Card Overview
UFC 316 (June 7, 2025 in Newark, NJ) featured a stacked main card with Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley as the headliner. The co-headliner was the anticipated women's bantamweight world title fight: Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison. Peña, a two-time champion, fought a formidable former Olympian in Harrison. Harrison secured a decisive victory via submission (kimura) in Round 2.
The other highlight fights on the card featured veterans Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland, and former champion Kelvin Gastelum vs. upstart challenger Joe Pyfer. Top bantamweight title hopeful Marlon Vera also saw action against Mario Bautista, bringing additional excitement to the evening.
Merab Dvalishvili Profile
Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 career) is a grizzled fighter and the UFC bantamweight champion. He's widely recognized for his rapid pace, conditioning and wrestling. Merab is Georgian and entered the UFC with a strong wrestling background. After losing his first two UFC bouts, he's since gone on a career-best win streak into the title bout, which ended with his victory over O'Malley to win the belt. Now 20-4 after winning in UFC 316, as a pro, he has been undefeated since his initial losses.
Merab's style has relied on pressure and volume as seen in UFC 316. He often corners opponents against the cage and employs better wrestling to grind them down. Despite relatively modest striking, his pace and control equate to more offense than the opposition can withstand. He tends to emphasize his conditioning in interviews as a tool. His style and training earned him the nickname "The Machine," based on his durability and relentless pressure. Merab is also a natural people’s person. As a champion he speaks of inspiring others and giving back to the sport's youth. It all adds fuel to his fan-favorite underdog persona.
Interview Insights
In the exclusive UFC 316 interview with Merab before the fight happened, he spoke about why he received an immediate rematch after he won his last fight so overwhelmingly. He pointed out that Sean O'Malley was the obvious number-one contender for the bantamweight title, and he had no doubt whatsoever that O'Malley would be making tactical changes.
Merab's fight week plans before UFC 316 were to rest a lot and keep his head straight. He indicated that he was still training with the top partners and was unfazed by any lingering injuries. His team and coach drilled conditioning and wrestling, his trademark forte. Fans kept in mind that he wanted to be prepared to fight and mentally sound. This mentality was on display in the exclusive interview, as Merab urged fans to be cognizant of what he foresaw would be "a great fight."
Sean O’Malley Profile
Sean "Sugar" O'Malley (18-3) is a former UFC bantamweight champion with flashy striking and charisma. O'Malley burst onto the scene with knockout victories and a larger-than-life personality and in his early fights he became an overnight sensation with fans. He is famous for his innovative striking, meshing kicks, spinning attacks, and sharp boxing and for standing out from the pack in the Octagon with his lively personality.
O'Malley's path to his rematch against Merab at UFC 316 started when he beat Aljamain Sterling to win the bantamweight title. He defended it by getting revenge for his one prior loss to score a win. That set up the title bout with Merab at UFC 316, where O'Malley was dominated and lost. Overall, however, he is still dangerous with his skill and mental toughness. At camp, O'Malley is also reported to work on his punching with top-level trainers.
Bantamweight Division
The bantamweight division has been tumultuous in the past. Now, by winning his class at UFC 316, Merab's championship reign provides a measure of stability as he stands above as the champion. Before Merab, the title had been passed from Aljamain Sterling to O'Malley to Dvalishvili in rapid order.
A few of the other top names in the division include future contenders like Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan (whom Merab already defeated). Merab listed Sandhagen's recent victory and Yan as threats during the interview, but pointed out he had already beaten Yan. The division also has a star in fighter Ilia Topuria, who won the featherweight title and has roots from Merab's home country of Georgia. In fact, Merab pointed out that Georgia has several champions and a deep line of fighters such as Topuria, Chikadze, and Dolidze.
Fight Camps
Fight camp preparation was very important for both warriors before UFC 316. Merab trained tirelessly, largely in Georgia, with a focus on wrestling and cardio to maintain his pressure-heavy style. He mentioned in the interview that despite a few injuries, nothing impacted his readiness. That suggested his camp was disciplined on recovery and tapering properly into fights.
O’Malley, on the other hand, is known to train with Team Elevation in Colorado and has a striking-oriented camp. While he did not detail his camp plans in interviews, experts note he undoubtedly focused on adapting his grappling and movement to counter Merab’s pressure. Latest UFC betting markets provided fans and bettors important updates on fighter momentum before and during UFC 316, reflecting changes often driven by training camp insights.
What the Betting Odds and Markets Said
The sportsbooks heavily favored Merab Dvalishvili to win again his opponent O'Malley by a landslide. Following his one-sided first fight, Merab was the outright betting pick. Stake's analysis before their rematch noted that he "proved too much" for O'Malley in their first fight and so "it's no surprise that he's the current UFC odds betting favorite."
Sean O'Malley, as expected, came in as the underdog, given his previous fights against Merab. The sportsbook narrative was that although O'Malley had a chance as the underdog and demonstrated moments (such as a late body kick), he was still without a doubt the "big underdog." In terms of the real betting odds, the odds were heavily favoring Merab, as his odds were in the not-so-profitable range for betting but for O'Malley, the odds were quite enticing due to his unlikeliness to win. Although specific numbers fluctuated in the lead-up to the fight.
The wider UFC 316 markets reinforced those trends. The women's co-main event, for instance, saw Peña as a hefty underdog versus Harrison, reflecting how she had been performing of late. In total, Stake's sportsbook now has UFC markets available for the main events and all undercard fights. Bettors were able to browse UFC 316 betting odds such as moneyline odds, method-of-victory odds, round betting, and live in-play markets for the entirety of the fight, and they will be able to do so both now and in the future for UFC events.
Stake Sportsbook Features
Stake's reach into UFC transcends odds and interviews. Being the official UFC betting partner and proud sponsor, Stake Sportsbook provides a lineup of features to complement fan engagement. For UFC 316, they advertised having the "best UFC betting odds" anywhere and even encouraged people to view all the fights for free via live streams on their platform. This allows gamblers on Stake to see the fights live on the platform as they bet, combining viewing and betting in one place.
Stake also has UFC-special, unique promotions. Merab's special offer, the "Merab Double Winnings Bonus", was promoted for this bout. They are also promoting "UFC Split Decision Insurance," which means it pays out on split-decision victories. Stake's VIP Club members can even gain rewards through promoting the site and casino. Additionally, the VIP club has rakeback and rewards, which encourages regular bettors to be even more active and involved in the scene.
Expert Predictions
Stake's very own UFC expert picks and predictions page featured a complete breakdown of UFC 316 before and during it happened, with betting analysis, fight card breakdowns, and predicted outcomes. It advised bettors to look towards and consider Merab's wrestling advantage and non-stop pace as deciding factors. It also mentioned O'Malley's better footwork since their initial bout and the potential he achieves early success if he can manage to keep it on the ground.
Overall, the majority of expert opinions favored the champion in this rematch, regardless, and given Merab's effective game plan and status, he was naturally the favorite for UFC 316. However, experts also cautioned fans that upsets do happen, and O'Malley's aggressive striking means the fight was no cakewalk. However, in the end, experts had the right idea, and Merab indeed won.
Fan Engagement via Betting and Ambassadors
The crossover of UFC and sports betting has increased exponentially, and Stake is leading the way. Stake uses ambassadors such as Merab Dvalishvili to make fighters more accessible to fans. As Stake Ambassador, Merab's interview is an excellent illustration: it gives an inside look at his mentality and also promotes Stake's betting content in a subtle way.
The fans like to hear from the champion himself about his life and fight preparation, along with details on betting promotions. This kind of ambassador partnership reinforces fan loyalty and individuals who are Merab fans will likely visit Stake's website more frequently and feel stronger connections towards the site.
In addition, Stake also promotes fan interaction with multi-platform availability. Its blog and sportsbook promote free streams, in-play wagering, and social media integration. Free live streams and the ability to easily access live odds on Stake allow fans to literally place a bet on a fight and see it play out in the same window. It's a way that every knockout, submission, or round split is made all the more thrilling for gamblers who have something riding on the outcome.
Overall, UFC 316 was an excellent example of how the fan experience is growing through these collaborations. Fighters like Merab are not just athletes anymore, but personalities who directly involve fans in betting. Fans are exposed to odds and expert content more than ever. And because Stake is both official sponsor and provider, it all gets wrapped up under the umbrella of the UFC, from champion interviews to live event betting in the moment.
