They say that UFC never sleeps, and they might just be right. With UFC 316 only a few days away, we're in for another amazing fight night released by Dana White and his company. As always, UFC fighting is followed by a lot of betting, so we're about to make a few bold picks and predictions for the upcoming event. The venue for UFC 316 is Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States and we're sure that the company is already prepared for everything to go in order.
The main event for the evening is a title rematch between Dvalishvili and O'Malley, and that bout will serve as the main event. The co-main event is the female division bantamweight title bout between Pena and Harrison. In addition to the two top bouts of the evening there's plenty more to come for all true fans of fighting. Here are expert picks for UFC 316, with more than a few bold predictions for what we deem as the top matches scheduled for June 7th. Let us begin.
Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O'Malley
Will history be repeated? Judging by what transpired the last time Merab Dvalishvili met Sean O'Malley, it is possible that we're about to witness yet another one-sided duel. Merab Dvalishvili has a powerful engine in him, top conditioning, and with his penchant for wrestling he is a nightmare matchup for O'Malley. While Merab is no top striker, he proved last time around that he can parry Sean in his own yard landing 214 hits to O'Malley's 49. Now, that's a stout difference, and it was not expected last time, but now it will be on the table. If you've watched the last title bout between these two men, you know that the Georgian fighter took home a clean and almost undisputed win. He is a betting favourite for the upcoming duel with his odds set at 1.36.
O'Malley took a little break after losing his title, and will be looking to get back to winning ways in this bout. Not an easy thing to do, to say the least. O'Malley will be back at full strength as he has not entered the octagon since he lost the title. From a fighting side, this might be a bad sign, as he might be a tad bit rusty. When we look at what happened during their last bout, it is evident that Sean's chances of a victory lies in his striking and kicking, and he proved last time around that he knows how to land a kick. Sean O'Malley's odds for this bout are set at 3.70 at the moment.
Considering that Merab is a heavy favourite for this one, and with both men fighting styles, we predict a submission win by Dvalishvili. O'Malley will have to start this bout swinging left and right in an attempt to land a strike on Merab. This will leave him without strength to fight through all rounds, leading to Merab's cardio and wrestling to take over.
Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison
Julianna Pena has been around for a while now, and despite holding two UFC titles to her name she didn't really impress anyone. Her last title was won against Raquel Pennington, and it was a decision win, after both fighters failed to deliver anything of substance during their bout. The only reason they were in a position to fight for the title is because the previous owner, Amanda Nunes vacated it. While a reigning champion, Julianna Pena is entering this bout as a slight underdog. This is a position that she loves to be in as one of her titles was one when the odds on her win were set at 8.00. At the moment, her odds of beating Harrison are set at 4.70.
Kayla Harrison is entering this duel as a favourite and this was to be expected from the company's latest darling. Her path to title bouts was already laid down as she entered UFC as a former two time PFL champion, and as a former Olympics champion too. Harrison is a strong fighter, who excels in wrestling. Considering the styles of both fighters, the majority of this bout will be fought on the ground. It is where Pena excels, and Harrison needs to vary this.
While favoured, we can see Harrison losing this bout. Her odds of winning are set at 1.17, and while this screams of an easy win, we doubt it. Instead, look for a surprise here, as you will not get better odds on an UFC champion than 4.70 on Julianna Pena. A win via submission, and a bet on that outcome, is on the table. Do you dare to grab it, or do you need to study UFC 316 betting a bit longer?
Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland
While not taking the headlines, here we have a classic in front of us. This welterweight bout can be an even better fight than the main event. Holland is slight favourite entering this bout with his odds set at 1.60. At the moment he has a slight advantage, but he has to prove it inside the octagon. Both fighters are entering this bout with two wins out of their last five matches with both coming off a win. A victory on Vicente Luque is paid with 2.40 odds. While a better ranking fighter at the moment, it is hard to see whether the Brazilian has any advantage over Holland. The Trailblazer has more wins with 27, height and weight advantage, and quite bigger reach. Luque, the Silent Assassin, will be looking to take advantage of his BJJ skills, while Holland will look for advantage on the feet. If everything goes to plan, we can see Holland taking this one home via KO/TKO in the second round.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer
We're owed this fight. These boys were scheduled to fight at the UFC Mexico, and after an unpleasant cancellation, we will now have an opportunity to witness them at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on June 7. Pyfer missed the UFC Mexico bout due to an Illness, and was quite mad at Mexico for getting ill. We're sure he will feel better on US soil, and the bookies have him as favourite to win as well. Of course, the main reason why Joe Pyfer has become somewhat of a media darling is the fact that he has the hardest hit in the UFC. Joe has 13 wins, 9 of which came via knockout. He's easy to root for as far as hitting people goes. While hitting hard is good, it can prove to be futile against an experienced fighter such as Kelvin Gastelum.
Gastelum is an 19-9-1 fighter with a lot of experience under his belt. He is a proven winner and having him as an 3.50 underdog does not serve justice to his skills as a fighter. At the same time, Joe is an 1.33 clear favourite. During his career, Kelvin has never been knocked out, and he fought the likes of Adesanya, Whittaker, and Belfort. This is an interesting bout for predictions, as anything can happen. The UFCs strongest hitter vs. a guy with a powerful chin. We're going to go with Joe here, as we believe he can land a proper hit from the get-go. A first-round KO by Pyfer is on our books.
Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix
This bantamweight bout will be another interesting bout on the UFC 316 main card. Patchy Mix is about to make his UFC debut, and it could prove to be a nervous outing. Despite the rookies having his flaws, Bautista enters this bout as an 2.45 underdog. Patchy Mix is favoured to win on his debut with his odds being set at 1.9. While favoured, you can see that odds are predicting a close fight.
Mario Bautista is an experienced fighter and is currently ranked at the spot No10 as far as UFC bantamweight fighters go. He is looking to make himself a contender for the title. His biggest obstacle so far will be Patchy Mix who is coming over to UFC as a former Bellator champion. Bautista is the more experienced fighter out of the two, but he will have to accept the underdog position placed on him by the bookmakers.
The main reason why Patchy Mix is entering this out as a favourite is because he is a far superior grappler to Bautista. Almost half of Mix's career wins came via submission and he should be able to do the same at UFC 316. If you plan to bet on UFC on sportsbooks like Stake.com, we suggest you put Patchy Mix on your slip. Furthermore, Patchy Mix is seen as one of the best fighters in the world at his weight class. The fact he's not recognized as such is because he was fighting outside the UFC. As of recently he is fighting at the biggest UFC stage, and we believe that it is an opportunity he will seize. A submission win in round three.
Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van
Another great bout we were forced to wait on. After da Silva pulled out of UFC 313, the company has been waiting for an opportunity to reschedule this bout. UFC 316 is the opportunity they've been waiting for and we will finally get to see Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van. At UFC 313, Joshua Van got to fight Rei Tsuruya on short notice and recorded a win via unanimous decision. Coming fresh off another win, Van now holds an 13-2 record, and is more than eager to take on his Brazilian counterpart.
Bruno's last outing was a defeat, and the Brazilian fighter stands at his 14-6-2 record. While he will be looking to get back to winning ways, the future does not look great for the 34-year old fighter from Brazil. Van is 23-years old and is looking to take division for himself as soon as an opportunity arises. Bruno Gustavo da Silva is an underdog here and with his odds set at 5.50 he doesn't have too much to look forward to in this duel. Van will be looking to take him on and confirm his 1.22 odds as a clear-cut favourite and eventual winner here. Considering the fighting styles of these two fighters we can see Van taking the win home via KO/TKO.
Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong
A preliminary fight, but an exciting duel nonetheless. Ariane da Silva will be looking to end her streak of two losses, but this will not be an easy task against the former Sanda world champion in Wang Cong. Wang is on a clear mission to make a name for herself in the Women’s Flyweight Division and get into title conversation as soon as possible. Cong is favoured with her odds being set at 1.28 while Ariane da Silva's win pays with 3.75 odds.
Formerly known as the Queen of Violence, da Silva is past her best days it would seem. Wang Cong will be looking to exploit her lack of confidence and with a blazing 7-1 start to her MMA career she appears to be more than capable of doing it. Yet, we would proceed with caution here. Ariane is a prolific fighter, and more than capable of creating damage. With an 17-10 record she will play the card of experience in the octagon. Being a knockout expert, she just might pull a surprise here. A KOT/KO win in round two.
With UFC 316 only a few days away, this is a good moment to take a look at what's on the card, check out the odds, and make your bets. We're sure our picks and predictions could lead you in the right direction. While we're sure all eyes will be on the Merab vs. O'Malley bout, we think that better punting opportunities lie in the rest of the card.
