Sean O’Malley is about to have his shot at redemption.
O’Malley challenges bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in the principle occasion of UFC 316 this Saturday in Newark, NJ. It’s a rematch of their UFC 306, the place Dvalishvili out-worked O’Malley over 25 minutes to assert the title. On high of that, the co-main occasion for the night is a extremely anticipated girls’s bantamweight title battle between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison, with a possible Amanda Nunes battle ready within the wings for the winner.
It’s a giant weekend of fights, and so with that in thoughts, MMA Preventing’s Alexander Okay. Lee, Mike Heck, and Jed Meshew hopped on to debate the most important storylines at play for UFC 316.
1. What’s your curiosity degree in Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2?
Heck: Gents, you understand me effectively sufficient: I name it like I see it, and when this battle was introduced, I used to be at a few 2.5 out of 10. However now that we’re every week away, I’m as much as no less than an 8, and it might get greater.
I like the storylines heading into this one — most of which my finest buddy AK goes to level out — however the stakes are literally fairly excessive right here. Does a win solidify Dvalishvili as the best bantamweight of all time? Some have already got him there, so if he loses, does that dialog change?
And for O’Malley, if he loses once more, what does this imply? Does O’Malley, as Chael Sonnen urged, turn into the Rich Franklin of bantamweight and transfer as much as featherweight? Or does “Sugar” turn into the Max Holloway of bantamweight, the place he knocks off all the upcoming contenders till there’s little doubt he will get one other title shot? I’m fascinated by all of it.
Lee: I’m going 7/10, and that feels beneficiant? That needs to be, like, the naked minimal for a UFC title battle, proper?
Like most, my preliminary response after Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s first assembly was one thing akin to “Nicely, I’m glad that occurred. Now we don’t must see that once more anytime quickly.” So I wasn’t precisely thrilled when O’Malley was allowed to sit down on the sidelines and wade again right into a rematch. However you understand what? Aside from seeing Umar Nurmagomedov throw down with Dvalishvili once more, there aren’t any challengers I used to be dying to see Dvalishvili battle subsequent. Cory Sandhagen? Timing didn’t work out. Petr Yan? Seen it. Aiemann Zahabi or Mario Bautista? Please. Patchy Mix? Quickly.
So I’ve talked myself into Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2, shopping for absolutely into each attainable excuse one could make to run this one again:
- Dvalishvili dominated the primary battle, however he didn’t actually threaten O’Malley
- O’Malley had a big damage heading into the battle, he couldn’t even observe wrestling
- O’Malley isn’t smoking weed anymore
Nice stuff. I’m again in. 7/10.
Meshew: I’m gonna be sincere: I’m shocked y’all went that prime. This is among the only a few occasions I bear in mind in historical past when a battle was introduced and there was open revulsion from the fan base. I’m giving this a 2 out of 10, and that’s beneficiant.
Let’s begin with the unhealthy: this is among the worst title battle bookings in current reminiscence. Now, I can’t say it’s the worst as a result of the UFC is consistently decreasing the bar on this regard (*cough* Yair Rodriguez may get one other shot at Alexander Volkanovski over Movsar Evloev *cough*), however it’s fairly egregious. O’Malley had one profitable title protection earlier than dropping the belt to Merab, and that was the wholly undeserving Chito Vera rematch. Even earlier than successful the belt, the knock on O’Malley was that he didn’t have any nice wins within the division. And now, after dropping a transparent determination to Merab, he simply will get to run it proper again 9 months later? Preposterous.
In fact, then there’s the matter of the battle itself. Be sincere, what number of of you might have gone again and fired that one up once more? The quantity has obtained to be fairly small as a result of it’s not a enjoyable watch. That was simply 9 months in the past, and when you can at all times make the case that issues will probably be completely different, the most certainly end result is a rehash of what already bored us to tears.
And that brings me to my largest concern with the battle: Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is definitely one of the best bantamweight on Earth and making a case for being the best ever, however I’m finished pretending like he’s fascinating. He isn’t. The person is an distinctive fighter who discovered a technique to flip his distinctive abilities right into a dominant title run, and I’ll by no means take that away from him, however I don’t have any curiosity in watching him compete, the identical method James Harden being a three-point/free throw service provider made me hate basketball. Breaking the sport makes you good and nice, however it doesn’t make you entertaining, no less than not for me. If I needed to look at a cardio competitors, I’d try CrossFit, and till Merab really makes an attempt to harm an opponent as an alternative of simply tiring them out, I’ll by no means be excited for one in every of his title fights.
2. Can Kayla Harrison save the ladies’s bantamweight division?
Lee: I’m unsure I perceive this query; is one thing improper with the division?
*chuckle*
OK, even with my glasses as rose-tinted as attainable, I can admit that the ladies’s 135-pound roster may not be probably the most compelling. Can a Kayla Harrison masterpiece change that? It received’t occur in a single day, however having a compelling, dominant champion on the high is at all times an excellent factor.
For one, let’s not rule out Julianna Peña giving Harrison a tough battle and incomes a possible rematch to proceed this feud. Say what you need about “The Venezuelan Vixen,” however she’s as doggedly decided exterior of the cage as she is inside it, and if there’s anybody prepared to hold round lengthy sufficient for the prospect to turn into a three-time UFC champion, it’s her.
Then there’s the Amanda Nunes issue. She’s not coming again for Peña, however an oft-discussed matchup with Harrison, her former coaching accomplice? You’ve obtained your self a official pay-per-view headliner there.
Add in the opportunity of Valentina Shevchenko beating Zhang Weili in a superfight after which transferring up for an additional superfight alternative with Harrison, and my goodness, we would have some buzz round this division once more.
Meshew: No. This division is useless, it simply doesn’t comprehend it but.
You understand how in films a personality dies and the opposite one begins doing CPR and chest compressions, maintaining the center pumping however refusing to just accept the reality? That’s girls’s bantamweight proper now. Certain, Kayla possibly Kayla wins, after which there’s the Nunes battle, and that retains the center beating for a little bit bit, however to what finish?
There aren’t any reinforcements coming to girls’s bantamweight. The UFC merely hasn’t finished the work to develop what was as soon as its marquee girls’s weight class (coincidentally, mild heavyweight has the same concern). There are barely any on the roster, they hardly ever battle, and no new expertise has are available. Simply take a look at the UFC rankings.
Chelsea Chandler is ranked, and he or she’s received one battle at bantamweight in her complete profession — a win in Invicta in 2019! Miesha Tate continues to be hanging across the rankings, for crying out loud! The one new(ish) one that might have even been on the market was Macy Chiasson, and he or she simply misplaced the worst battle of the 12 months to Ketlen Vieira.
I don’t say this to be imply, however with a transparent understanding of the state of affairs at hand: if Kayla Harrison wins on Saturday, e book her vs. Nunes for the final girls’s bantamweight title. Make a giant deal out of this being the retirement of the belt, after which sundown the division. Then, in just a few years, possibly they will convey it again like they did as soon as upon a time with light-weight.
Heck: Umm… form of? And I say that as a result of it could be a mixed effort for some short-term salvation.
Amanda Nunes is teasing a comeback, and the one method — in my view — that occurs is that if Kayla Harrison wins the belt, and I feel that the phrase “if” applies right here.
I’ve seen it in all places: Pena is about to get mollywhopped by Harrison, and that might definitely occur. Name me loopy, however I’m actually wanting ahead to this battle as a result of I feel Pena has a greater probability than individuals assume. Harrison hasn’t been within the trenches in an MMA battle all that a lot, and when she has, she misplaced to Larissa Pacheco and received a aggressive determination towards Ketlen Vieira. The longer Harrison permits Pena to stay round, the extra the brash champ can shut the hole. But when Harrison finally ends up wiping Pena out shortly, the urge for food for Harrison vs. Nunes could be fairly massive.
However what would come subsequent? That’s a giant query, and a HUGE drawback for this division. Girls’s 135 is in a tough place proper now, largely as a result of there are simply so few of them.
3. What non-title battle ought to individuals be paying extra consideration to?
Meshew: Oh wow, I simply checked out the remainder of this card and, um, yeesh. Both the UFC thinks numerous Sean O’Malley’s (and I suppose Kayla Harrison’s) means to herald eyeballs, or they completely gave up on this one. Often, a pay-per-view both has 1-2 nice fights up high after which mids the remainder of the best way, or it’s a set of B+ fights. UFC 316 seems to have break up the distinction with two mid title fights and a set of DILLIGAFs. daring technique, Cotton.
I’m going to move on speaking about Fighter X vs. Combine as a result of that man is useless to me. His identify is verboten, which makes it exhausting to speak about, though Patchy Combine is a desperately wanted breath of contemporary air. After that, the on-paper most significant battle is Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (ranked heavyweights!), however no. Simply no.
Joe Pyfer vs. Kelvin Gastelum might be enjoyable — or Pyfer might screw up his weight lower, get sick, after which blame the foul up on anybody aside from himself — xenophobia, perhaps. In order that’s out. So I suppose that leaves Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland as the one actual selection (however shout out to Joshua Van, who’s at all times enjoyable to look at).
Luque is 33 happening 106, however he’s nonetheless a harmful man and nearly at all times enjoyable to look at. Holland has finished his finest to nerf his profession by fruitlessly preventing up at middleweight, the place he isn’t excellent, however this battle is again at 170, the place he’s fairly succesful, so I count on this to be an excellent scrap. Holland most likely wins, however will probably be enjoyable whereas it lasts, and on paper, is likely to be the final enjoyable factor that occurs on Saturday night time.
Heck: Despite the fact that there’s buzz from the hardcore fan base, the extra informal viewers wants to purchase into Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Combine. I might write 1,000 phrases about how a lot I like this battle, and the way intrigued I’m about it, however for many who are unaware of Combine, the person was the ultimate Bellator bantamweight champion and he’s needed to — for probably the most half — sit on the sidelines since PFL absorbed Bellator for, effectively, causes. Fortunately, PFL did the best factor and let Combine go the place he can really battle and have the prospect to show he’s one of the best 135-pounder on the earth.
I’ll admit, Combine’s most up-to-date efficiency towards Magomed Magomedov gave me a little bit trigger for pause. Maybe Combine was getting a bit unmotivated in a company he needed to half methods with, or possibly Magomedov is method higher than individuals assume, however that is excellent matchmaking right here. Why? As a result of we’ll know Combine’s UFC ceiling in quarter-hour or much less, in my view.
If Combine steamrolls Bautista, particularly if he will get a end, he’ll come out of the occasion like a freaking famous person, could even get a title shot subsequent. If he loses to Bautista, he’ll doubtless be a perennial top-10 man on the earth, however received’t battle for a UFC title. Exterior of the 2 title fights, nobody has extra at stake than Combine.
Lee: I’m going deep, deep lower right here and giving Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro some shine.
Admittedly, that is extra of a Murzakanov endorsement than a lift for the battle itself, contemplating Murzakanov is the most important favourite on the cardboard not named Kayla Harrison, however I’ve been impressed with what he’s proven up to now and I doubt he’s removed from a title shot within the dire mild heavyweight division.
At 36, Murzakanov has no time to waste, and he’ll be out to make a press release within the hopes of bettering to 5-0 within the UFC and making a robust case for a title shot. It’s buried on the preliminaries, however Murzakanov vs. Ribeiro might be a showcase battle for a 2026 title challenger.
