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Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
UFC 316 Fight Card Odds And Predictions: Luque Vs. Holland
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Vicente Luque looks on before a welterweight bout against Themba ... More Gorimbo of Zimbabwe during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Two UFC welterweights coming off 'Performance of the Night' bonus-winning victories open the UFC 316 pay-per-view fight card. In that contest, Vicente Luque faces Kevin Holland in a matchup that could have implications in the UFC's 170-pound rankings. We look at betting odds, line movement, preview, picks, and predictions for the Luque vs. Holland matchup on the UFC 316 fight card, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 7. The main event of UFC 316 finds UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili against the man he took the title from, Sean O'Malley. Meanwhile, in the fight card's co-main event, two-time women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena looks to do what she could not in her first title run, make a successful defense of her crown. Pena faces former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Vicente Luque looks on before the UFC 310 event against Themba ... More Gorimbo of Zimbabwe at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Vicente Luque (23-10-1) enters UFC 316 as the No. 14 fighter in the official UFC welterweight rankings. The 33-year-old has been with the UFC since July 2015. Luque had some good winning streaks in his early days with the UFC, putting together winning runs of four fights, six fights, and four fights, but whenever he stepped up to face top-level competition, he faltered. The opponents who ended Luque's winning runs were Leon Edwards, Stephen Thompson, and Belal Muhammad. Luque is 2-2 since losing to Muhammad in 2022. He has wins over Rafael dos Anjos and Themba Gorimbo, while his losses have come via knockout against Geoff Neal and Joaquin Buckley. In his most recent outing, Luque earned a technical submission stoppage over Gorimbo. That fight took place in December. LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Kevin Holland prepares to face Gunnar Nelson of Iceland in a ... More welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The O2 on March 22, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Kevin Holland (27-13-0-1) was 12-3 when he earned his shot at a UFC contract on a Dana White's Contender Series card in June 2018. Despite getting a win, UFC CEO Dana White did not offer Holland a contract. However, Holland got the chance to fight for the UFC in August 2018 when Thiago Santos needed a short-notice opponent. Holland has been one of the more active UFC competitors since losing that contest by decision, fighting at middleweight and welterweight. Holland followed the loss to Santos with an 8-1 run, a stretch that included five victories between May 2020 and December 2020. His last win of that run was a 'Performance of the Night' bonus-winning knockout of ex-Strikeforce champion Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza. Holland's career has been up-and-down since the highlight-reel win over Souza. He has a 5-7-0-1 record since then, never winning, or losing, more than two fights in a row. Holland is 2-2 in his past four outings with a submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk, a corner stoppage TKO loss to Roman Dolidze, a submission setback to Reinier de Ridder, and most recently, a decision win over Gunnar Nelson in March. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Kevin Holland prepares to face Reinier de Ridder of The ... More Netherlands in a middleweight fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Luque opened as the +140 betting underdog to Holland, who came in as the -160 betting favorite. Those odds have shifted in Holland's favor. Today, Holland is -225, while Luque is listed at +190. *Odds via BetOnline Age: 33 Height: 5' 11' Reach: 75' Stance: Orthodox Age: 32 Height: 6'3' Reach: 81' Stance: Orthodox LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Vicente Luque reacts after a welterweight bout against Themba ... More Gorimbo of Zimbabwe during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Holland is a talented fighter, but the problem with Holland is his consistency. At points, it seems as if Holland is more interested in booking fights and earning a paycheck than he is interested in being competitive in those bouts. And while Luque has had his ups and downs, he seems to take his career more seriously than Holland. Holland has an advantage in height and reach in this bout, and if he can use those strengths, he has a good chance of picking up the win. However, Luque is effective in spots where Holland struggles, mainly in takedown defense. The betting pick in this bout is to go where there is value, and that is Luque to use his wrestling to grind out a decision win over Holland. We will have more on the UFC 316 Luque vs. Holland bout as fight night nears, as well as live results, reactions, highlights and more for the UFC 316 pay-per-view card on fight night.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
UFC Fight Card Schedule For June 2025: Including Two PPV Cards
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Opponents Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley face off during the ... More UFC 316 press conference at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The UFC has a packed schedule for June 2025. The month, which has a UFC fight card scheduled for each weekend, is bookended by two pay-per-view events, UFC 316 and UFC 317. Also included on the schedule are UFC Fight Night events in Atlanta, Georgia, and Baku, Azerbaijan. Perhaps most importantly for fight fans, there are no fights scheduled for the UFC Apex. Below, we look at the full UFC schedule for June 2025. The next pay-per-view fight card on the UFC schedule, UFC 316, looks to be set with 12 fights. The event, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 7, features two title fights at the top of the marquee. The main event of UFC 316 finds UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili against the man he took the title from, Sean O'Malley. Meanwhile, in the fight card's co-main event, two-time women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena looks to do what she could not in her first title run, make a successful defense of her crown. Pena faces former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison. Also appearing on the UFC 316 PPV fight card is former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix, who makes his short-notice UFC debut against Mario Bautista at 135 pounds. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley - Men's bantamweight title fight Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison - Women's bantamweight title fight Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer - Middleweight Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix - Bantamweight Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland - Welterweight Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van - Flyweight Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro - Light Heavyweight Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Heavyweight Khaos Williams vs. Uroš Medić - Welterweight Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong - Women's Flyweight Jeka Saragih vs. Yoo Joo-sang - Featherweight Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz - Lightweight ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 21: Kamaru Usman of Nigeria reacts after a decision loss ... More against Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates in a middleweight fight during the UFC 294 event at Etihad Arena on October 21, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) On June 14, the UFC returns to Atlanta, Georgia, for the promotion's first fight card in that state since 2019. The main event of the UFC Atlanta fight card features an important welterweight matchup between former UFC 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman and the surging Joaquin Buckley. In the evening's co-main event, highly-ranked UFC women's flyweight competitors Rose Namajunas and Miranda Maverick meet. Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley - Welterweight Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick - Women's Flyweight Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos - Bantamweight Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage - Middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski - Middleweight Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy - Light Heavyweight Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato - Light Heavyweight Ricky Simón vs. Charles Jourdain - Bantamweight Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee - Welterweight Tereza Bledá vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth - Women's Flyweight Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa - Flyweight INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 17: Jamahal Hill poses on the scale during the UFC 311 ceremonial ... More weigh-in at Intuit Dome on January 17, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) On Saturday, June 21, the UFC makes its first visit to Baku, Azerbaijan for a UFC Fight Night that has an important light heavyweight fight at the top of the card. In that contest, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill faces recent UFC 205-pound title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. - Light Heavyweight Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes - Lightweight Muhammad Naimov vs. Bogdan Grad - Featherweight Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta - Lightweight Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev - Heavyweight Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Azat Maksum - Flyweight Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Syguła - Women's Bantamweight Melissa Mullins vs. Daria Zheleznyakova - Women's Bantamweight Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman - Heavyweight Ismail Naurdiev vs. Park Jun-yong - Middleweight ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26:Ilia Topuria of Spain prepares to face Max Holloway in ... More the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Two title fights get top billing on the upcoming UFC 317 pay-per-view event. That fight card, the second of two ESPN+ streaming PPVs on the UFC schedule for June, also features at least four other bouts that will have a bearing on the UFC rankings. UFC 317 serves as the anchor event for the 2025 edition of International Fight Week. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape - Flyweight Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov - Middleweight Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodriguez - Middleweight Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa - Heavyweight Viviane Araújo vs. Tracy Cortez - Women's Flyweight MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Merab Dvalishvili is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Merab Dvalishvili (19-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion's 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306. The 33-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since. Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O'Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O'Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Sean O'Malley is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Sean O'Malley (18-2-0-1) was 7-0 with six finishes when he got the chance to fight for a UFC contract on the first season of Dana White's Contender Series back in 2017. O'Malley, scored a first-round knockout, and a UFC contract that night. He went 4-0 in his first bouts with the promotion, picking up three fight-night bonus awards for his efforts, including a brutal one-punch KO win over UFC veteran Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. The win over Wineland put O'Malley at No. 14 in the UFC bantamweight rankings and got him a fight against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. Vera won that fight by TKO, handing O'Malley the only defeat on his record. The loss to Vera knocked O'Malley out of the rankings, but he bounced back in his next fight, knocking out Thomas Almeida and earning another fight-night bonus in the process. He followed that win with a TKO win over Kris Moutinho. Despite those back-to-back wins, O'Malley remained unranked when he next stepped into the Octagon for a December 2021 matchup against Raulian Paiva. O'Malley wrapped that fight up with a knockout at the 4:42 mark of the first round. That victory put O'Malley back in the rankings. O'Malley's next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue. Then, in October 2022, O'Malley was matched up with former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. He entered that contest as the +230 underdog to the -275 ex-champ. The pair went the three-round distance, with O'Malley getting the split decision nod. That victory set up O'Malley to face Sterling in August 2023. O'Malley has not fought since his loss to Dvalishvili. He is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Julianna Pena is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Julianna Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena's record to 5-2. Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission. In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed. In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women's bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite. In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian's title reign. Pena's time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision. Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena's replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired. When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Kayla Harrison is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) A two-time Olympic gold medal winner in judo (2012 and 2016), Kayla Harrison (18-1) made her MMA debut in the 155-pound division with PFL in 2018. Harrison ran over her first six opponents, picking up three submissions, two knockouts, and a decision before winning the women's lightweight title by defeating Larissa Pacheco by decision. In November 2020, Harrison defeated Courtney King by TKO in a 145-pound scrap. Shen then moved back to 155 pounds. In 2021, Harrison won the PFL 155-pound tournament with a submission win over Taylor Guardado. By 2022, Harrison had amassed a 15-0 record. However, her unbeaten ended in the finals of the 2022 PFL lightweight tourney when Pacheco scored a unanimous decision win over Harrison. The ex-champ fought once more for the PFL, beating former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd via decision in November 2023 in a 150-pound catchweight fight. In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400. In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women's 135-pound rankings. HONOLULU, HAWAII - APRIL 19: Patchy Mix addresses the media ahead of his Bantamweight Grand Prix ... More Championship bout for Bellator 295 on April 19, 2023, at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Patchy Mix (20-1) comes too the UFC following his release by PFL. The 31-year-old Mix is riding a seven-fight undefeated streak. He won the interim Bellator bantamweight title in April 2023 with a knockout victory over Raufeon Stots. Then, in November 2023, Mix unified the Bellator 135-pound titles with a submission victory over Sergio Pettis. In his most recent outing, Mix defended his crown with a split decision win over Magomed Magomedov in May 2024. Mix's only professional defeat came in September 2020 when Juan Archuleta defeated him via unanimous decision in a contest for the vacant Bellator bantamweight crown. Mario Bautista (15-2) has been with the UFC since 2019. The 31-year-old opened his UFC run with a 2-2 record, but he is unbeaten since early 2022, with a run of seven straight wins. In his most recent outing, Bautista defeated Jose Aldo via split decision at UFC 307 in October 2024. ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory ... More against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Topuria is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - JUNE 10: Charles Oliveira of Brazil celebrates his TKO victory over ... More Beneil Dariush of Iran in their lightweight fight during the UFC 289 event at Rogers Arena on June 10, 2023 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. We will have more information on the UFC schedule for June 2025 as it becomes available.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
UFC 316 Full Fight Card Opening Betting Odds
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Opponents Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley face off during the ... More UFC 316 press conference at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The next pay-per-view card on the UFC schedule is the UFC 316 fight card from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. That June 7 event features two title fights in the headlining spots. The UFC 316 main event sees UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili facing the man he took that title from, Sean O'Malley. In the fight card's co-main event, two-time UFC women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena looks to defend that belt against former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison. Also appearing on the UFC 316 PPV fight card is former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix, who makes his short-notice UFC debut against Mario Bautista at 135 pounds. Merab Dvalishvili (-300) vs. Sean O'Malley (+240) - Men's bantamweight title fight Julianna Peña (+525) vs. Kayla Harrison (-700) - Women's bantamweight title fight Kelvin Gastelum (+250) vs. Joe Pyfer (-300) - Middleweight Mario Bautista (-110) vs. Patchy Mix (-110) - Bantamweight Vicente Luque (+140) vs. Kevin Holland (-160) - Welterweight Bruno Gustavo da Silva (+250) vs. Joshua Van (-300) - Flyweight Azamat Murzakanov (-350) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (+285) - Light Heavyweight Serghei Spivac (-150) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (+130) - Heavyweight Khaos Williams (+130) vs. Uroš Medić (-150) - Welterweight Ariane da Silva (+330) vs. Wang Cong (-400) - Women's Flyweight Jeka Saragih (+250) vs. Yoo Joo-sang (-300) - Featherweight Quillan Salkilld (+22) vs. Yanal Ashmouz (+185) - Lightweight *Odds via BetOnline MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Merab Dvalishvili is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Merab Dvalishvili (19-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion's 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306. The 33-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since. Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O'Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O'Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Sean O'Malley is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Sean O'Malley (18-2-0-1) was 7-0 with six finishes when he got the chance to fight for a UFC contract on the first season of Dana White's Contender Series back in 2017. O'Malley, scored a first-round knockout, and a UFC contract that night. He went 4-0 in his first bouts with the promotion, picking up three fight-night bonus awards for his efforts, including a brutal one-punch KO win over UFC veteran Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. The win over Wineland put O'Malley at No. 14 in the UFC bantamweight rankings and got him a fight against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. Vera won that fight by TKO, handing O'Malley the only defeat on his record. The loss to Vera knocked O'Malley out of the rankings, but he bounced back in his next fight, knocking out Thomas Almeida and earning another fight-night bonus in the process. He followed that win with a TKO win over Kris Moutinho. Despite those back-to-back wins, O'Malley remained unranked when he next stepped into the Octagon for a December 2021 matchup against Raulian Paiva. O'Malley wrapped that fight up with a knockout at the 4:42 mark of the first round. That victory put O'Malley back in the rankings. O'Malley's next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue. Then, in October 2022, O'Malley was matched up with former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. He entered that contest as the +230 underdog to the -275 ex-champ. The pair went the three-round distance, with O'Malley getting the split decision nod. That victory set up O'Malley to face Sterling in August 2023. O'Malley has not fought since his loss to Dvalishvili. He is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Julianna Pena is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Julianna Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena's record to 5-2. Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission. In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed. In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women's bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite. In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian's title reign. Pena's time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision. Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena's replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired. When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Kayla Harrison is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) A two-time Olympic gold medal winner in judo (2012 and 2016), Kayla Harrison (18-1) made her MMA debut in the 155-pound division with PFL in 2018. Harrison ran over her first six opponents, picking up three submissions, two knockouts, and a decision before winning the women's lightweight title by defeating Larissa Pacheco by decision. In November 2020, Harrison defeated Courtney King by TKO in a 145-pound scrap. Shen then moved back to 155 pounds. In 2021, Harrison won the PFL 155-pound tournament with a submission win over Taylor Guardado. By 2022, Harrison had amassed a 15-0 record. However, her unbeaten ended in the finals of the 2022 PFL lightweight tourney when Pacheco scored a unanimous decision win over Harrison. The ex-champ fought once more for the PFL, beating former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd via decision in November 2023 in a 150-pound catchweight fight. In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400. In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women's 135-pound rankings. HONOLULU, HAWAII - APRIL 19: Patchy Mix addresses the media ahead of his Bantamweight Grand Prix ... More Championship bout for Bellator 295 on April 19, 2023, at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Patchy Mix (20-1) comes too the UFC following his release by PFL. The 31-year-old Mix is riding a seven-fight undefeated streak. He won the interim Bellator bantamweight title in April 2023 with a knockout victory over Raufeon Stots. Then, in November 2023, Mix unified the Bellator 135-pound titles with a submission victory over Sergio Pettis. In his most recent outing, Mix defended his crown with a split decision win over Magomed Magomedov in May 2024. Mix's only professional defeat came in September 2020 when Juan Archuleta defeated him via unanimous decision in a contest for the vacant Bellator bantamweight crown. Mario Bautista (15-2) has been with the UFC since 2019. The 31-year-old opened his UFC run with a 2-2 record, but he is unbeaten since early 2022, with a run of seven straight wins. In his most recent outing, Bautista defeated Jose Aldo via split decision at UFC 307 in October 2024. We will have more on this upcoming UFC PPV as fight night approaches, including previews, odds, and predictions for the UFC 316 fight card.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
UFC 316 Fight Card Set With 12 Fights Officially Announced
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Opponents Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley face off during the ... More UFC 316 press conference at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The next pay-per-view fight card on the UFC schedule, UFC 316, looks to be set with 12 fights. The event, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 7, features two title fights at the top of the marquee. The main event of UFC 316 finds UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili against the man he took the title from, Sean O'Malley. Meanwhile, in the fight card's co-main event, two-time women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena looks to do what she could not in her first title run, make a successful defense of her crown. Pena faces former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison. Also appearing on the UFC 316 PPV fight card is former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix, who makes his short-notice UFC debut against Mario Bautista at 135 pounds. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley - Men's bantamweight title fight Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison - Women's bantamweight title fight Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer - Middleweight Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix - Bantamweight Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland - Welterweight Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van - Flyweight Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro - Light Heavyweight Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Heavyweight Khaos Williams vs. Uroš Medić - Welterweight Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong - Women's Flyweight Jeka Saragih vs. Yoo Joo-sang - Featherweight Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz - Lightweight MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Merab Dvalishvili is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Merab Dvalishvili (19-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion's 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306. The 33-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since. Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O'Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O'Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Sean O'Malley is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Sean O'Malley (18-2-0-1) was 7-0 with six finishes when he got the chance to fight for a UFC contract on the first season of Dana White's Contender Series back in 2017. O'Malley, scored a first-round knockout, and a UFC contract that night. He went 4-0 in his first bouts with the promotion, picking up three fight-night bonus awards for his efforts, including a brutal one-punch KO win over UFC veteran Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. The win over Wineland put O'Malley at No. 14 in the UFC bantamweight rankings and got him a fight against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. Vera won that fight by TKO, handing O'Malley the only defeat on his record. The loss to Vera knocked O'Malley out of the rankings, but he bounced back in his next fight, knocking out Thomas Almeida and earning another fight-night bonus in the process. He followed that win with a TKO win over Kris Moutinho. Despite those back-to-back wins, O'Malley remained unranked when he next stepped into the Octagon for a December 2021 matchup against Raulian Paiva. O'Malley wrapped that fight up with a knockout at the 4:42 mark of the first round. That victory put O'Malley back in the rankings. O'Malley's next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue. Then, in October 2022, O'Malley was matched up with former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. He entered that contest as the +230 underdog to the -275 ex-champ. The pair went the three-round distance, with O'Malley getting the split decision nod. That victory set up O'Malley to face Sterling in August 2023. O'Malley has not fought since his loss to Dvalishvili. He is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Julianna Pena is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Julianna Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena's record to 5-2. Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission. In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed. In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women's bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite. In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian's title reign. Pena's time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision. Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena's replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired. When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Kayla Harrison is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) A two-time Olympic gold medal winner in judo (2012 and 2016), Kayla Harrison (18-1) made her MMA debut in the 155-pound division with PFL in 2018. Harrison ran over her first six opponents, picking up three submissions, two knockouts, and a decision before winning the women's lightweight title by defeating Larissa Pacheco by decision. In November 2020, Harrison defeated Courtney King by TKO in a 145-pound scrap. Shen then moved back to 155 pounds. In 2021, Harrison won the PFL 155-pound tournament with a submission win over Taylor Guardado. By 2022, Harrison had amassed a 15-0 record. However, her unbeaten ended in the finals of the 2022 PFL lightweight tourney when Pacheco scored a unanimous decision win over Harrison. The ex-champ fought once more for the PFL, beating former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd via decision in November 2023 in a 150-pound catchweight fight. In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400. In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women's 135-pound rankings. HONOLULU, HAWAII - APRIL 19: Patchy Mix addresses the media ahead of his Bantamweight Grand Prix ... More Championship bout for Bellator 295 on April 19, 2023, at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Patchy Mix (20-1) comes too the UFC following his release by PFL. The 31-year-old Mix is riding a seven-fight undefeated streak. He won the interim Bellator bantamweight title in April 2023 with a knockout victory over Raufeon Stots. Then, in November 2023, Mix unified the Bellator 135-pound titles with a submission victory over Sergio Pettis. In his most recent outing, Mix defended his crown with a split decision win over Magomed Magomedov in May 2024. Mix's only professional defeat came in September 2020 when Juan Archuleta defeated him via unanimous decision in a contest for the vacant Bellator bantamweight crown. Mario Bautista (15-2) has been with the UFC since 2019. The 31-year-old opened his UFC run with a 2-2 record, but he is unbeaten since early 2022, with a run of seven straight wins. In his most recent outing, Bautista defeated Jose Aldo via split decision at UFC 307 in October 2024. We will have more on this upcoming UFC PPV as fight night approaches, including previews, odds, and predictions for the UFC 316 fight card.
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Pena Says Hopefully Harrison Cycles Off Steroids Before UFC 316
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Julianna Pena is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) With UFC 316 fast approaching, UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Pena attempted to carefully offer her opinion on the physique of her opponent in the co-main event of that fight card, Kayla Harrison. UFC 316, the next PPV card on the 2025 UFC schedule, takes place on Saturday, June 7, from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In the main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili faces Sean O'Malley in a rematch. Dvalishvili claimed the UFC 135-pound title in September 2024 when he and O'Malley first faced off 'It doesn't just happen overnight just because you touch the weights a little bit. I want to say what everybody's thinking on their minds, which is that, of course, she at some point was on steroids and hopefully she cycles off of them before June 7, makes the weight, and pisses clean,' Pena told Ariel Helwani. 'Because that's what I'm going to be doing and I want this fight to be as fair a fight as possible, minus her being a weight bully and cutting the 50 pounds in order to make the weight class.' LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 13: Kayla Harrison reacts to the end of the round in a bantamweight fight ... More during the UFC 300 event at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Pena pointed to the difference between the Harrison who won gold medals in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games at -78 kg. "I cannot confirm 110 percent wether she is or is not on PEDs, but I will say that back then, in the Olympics, she looked like a girl, very feminine, and now she looks super juicy and cut up. Gold medallist US Kayla Harrison celebrates on the podium of the women's -78kg judo contest of the ... More Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 11, 2016. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images) Somebody give that girl a band-aid, because she's cut." Harrison (18-1) joined the MMA ranks in 2018, competing at 155 pounds for PFL. She was signed by the PFL through 2024. During her run with that promotion, Harrison won two lightweight tournaments, and also fought once at 145 pounds for Invicta FC. When her run with PFL ended, Harrison had a 16-1 record. Her only loss being a decision setback to Larissa Pachecho in the 2022 PFL lightweight tournament final. In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400. In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women's 135-pound rankings. Harrison underwent 13 drug tests under the UFC program in 2024 and she has been tested three times in 2025. Harrison has never failed a drug test in her athletic career. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Opponents Julianna Pena and Kayla Harrison face off during the UFC ... More 316 press conference at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena's record to 5-2. Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission. In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed. In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women's bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite. In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian's title reign. Pena's time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision. Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena's replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired. When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 05: Julianna Pena reacts after her victory against Raquel Pennington ... More in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 307 event at Delta Center on October 05, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) We will have more on this upcoming UFC 316 PPV as fight night approaches, including previews, odds, and predictions for the UFC 316 fight card.
