Latest news with #MerabDvalishvili
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC 316 'Embedded' No. 1: Patchy Mix needs Tatiana Suarez's FightPass login for fight prep
The UFC is back in New Jersey for UFC 316, its sixth pay-per-view of the calendar year, and the popular "Embedded" fight week video series is here to document what's happening behind the scenes. UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark. Advertisement In the headliner, bantamweight champion champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) takes on challenger and ex-champ Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a rematch. In the co-feature, women's bantamweight titleholder Julianna Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) meets Kayla Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL $1 million champion who is one of the biggest title challenger betting favorites in UFC history. In addition, former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix (20-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his highly anticipated UFC debut after freeing himself from the PFL when he takes on Mario Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The first episode of "Embedded" follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC's description of the episode from YouTube: Sean O'Malley shows off his new baby and trains; Champ Merab Dvalishvili listens to MMA news in the morning and heads to the gym to hit pads; Vicente Luque and his son look for turtles; Patchy Mix prepares for his UFC Debut; Champ Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison exchange words in a live interview. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 316 'Embedded' preview video No. 1: Dvalishvili, O'Malley, more
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili: Projected matchup says a lot about bantamweight division
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili: Projected matchup says a lot about bantamweight division UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is confused by the rumored matchmaking for Petr Yan's next fight. While not yet official, Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is expected to face Marcus McGhee (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on July 26 at UFC on ABC 9 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, according to reports. His most recent loss came to Dvalishvili in March 2023. With the former bantamweight champion coming off back-to-back wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo, Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) expected him to be in the title picture, not fighting backwards. "This is a tough fight actually. The Marcus guy is strong, he looked good, it's a tough test for Petr Yan," Dvalishvili told Helen Yee. "Wow, I thought he was fighting for the belt, and now he has to fight another contender. That means that our division is very stuck, and it's not easy to fight for the belt. Good luck to him. Of course, I will be cheering him. We fought, and I always try to cheer the guys I fought. So, it's going to be a tough test for him, but I'm sure he will get it." Dvalishvili runs things back with Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. If he can get past O'Malley a second time, he sees one particular contender as an option for his next title defense. "I think right now (Cory) Sandhagen is ready, and we never fought each other," Dvalishvili said. "Maybe, I'm not sure. Whatever the UFC will decide. Whatever UFC thinks the fresh guy and the most deserving guy (is), I will fight."
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video: UFC 316 'Countdown' for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2
Did you miss the debut of UFC 316 "Countdown" or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now. The segment takes a special look at the bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and challenger and ex-champ Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC). Advertisement UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Neark, N.J. "Countdown" goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don't miss the entire episode in the video below. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 316 title preview video: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2
USA Today
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Video: UFC 316 'Countdown' for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2
Video: UFC 316 'Countdown' for Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2 Did you miss the debut of UFC 316 "Countdown" or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now. The segment takes a special look at the bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and challenger and ex-champ Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC). UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Neark, N.J. "Countdown" goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don't miss the entire episode in the video below.
Forbes
a day 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.
