Latest news with #O'Malley
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
UFC 316 Fight Card: Early Prelims Odds, Picks And Predictions
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 24: Wang Cong of China reacts after her knockout victory against Victoria ... More Leonardo in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 24, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) The UFC 316 pay-per-view fight card is on the horizon. The event, which features two title fights at the top of the card, takes place on Saturday, June 7, from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While most of the focus will be on Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley and Jessica Pena vs. Kayla Harrison, we want to prepare fans for all of the fights on the UFC 316 fight card. Below, we look at the betting odds, line movement, predictions, and picks for the three-fight early prelim contests on UFC 316. The UFC 316 main event sees UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili facing O'Malley, the man he took that title from. In the fight card's co-main event, two-time UFC women's bantamweight champ Pena looks to defend that belt against former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Harrison. The main card of UFC 316 streams on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong - Women's Flyweight Jeka Saragih vs. Joo Sang Yoo - Featherweight Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz - Lightweight LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 24: Wang Cong of China prepares to face Victoria Leonardo in a flyweight ... More fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 24, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Closing out the UFC 316 early prelims is a women's flyweight scrap between Ariane da Silva (17-10) and Wang Cong (7-1). Da Silva has been with the UFC since January 2019. The 31-year-old joined the promotion with an 11-3 record. Her best UFC run came in 2023 when she went 3-0, defeating JJ Aldrich, Melissa Gatto, and Casey O'Neill. Since her December 2023 submission victory over O'Neill, Da Silva is 0-2, most recently falling to Jasmine Jasudavicius via submission. Da Silva is the No. 13 fighter in the official UFC women's flyweight rankings. Wang joined the UFC in 2024. She came to the promotion with some fanfare because of her 2015 kickboxing win over current UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. In her UFC debut, Wang scored an impressive knockout win over Victoria Leonardo. However, she lost some shine in her next outing when Gabriella Fernandes choked her out in their meeting in China. In her most recent trip to the Octagon, Wang earned a decision win over Bruna Brasil. The opening odds for this matchup saw Wang open as the -400 favorite over the +330 Da Silva. Today, those odds are -360 for Wang and +295 for Da Silva. Wang's goal will be to keep this fight on the feet because her best route to victory is her striking. Da Silva has been knocked out three times under the UFC banner, and that does not bode well for her in this matchup. The betting pick is Wang to beat Da Silva via knockout. Jeka Saragih (14-4) is the runner-up from the Road to UFC Season 1 lightweight tournament. He comes into UFC 316 with a 1-2 UFC record, most recently losing to Westin Wilson via submission in June of last year. Joo Sang Yoo (8-0) makes his UFC debut at UFC 316. The 31-year-old has three knockout wins, one submission, and four decisions. His most recent victory came in December when he defeated Masuto Kawana via first-round knockout. The opening odds for this matchup favored Sang Yoo (-300) over Saragih (+250). Those odds have widened. Today, Sang Yoo is the -500 betting favorite over the +375 Saragih. Saragih has more experience, but he is struggling with lower-level UFC foes. The pick is for Sang Yoo to pick up a knockout win in this featherweight matchup. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 09: Quillan Salkilld of Australia reacts after a knockout victory ... More against Anshul Jubli of India in a lightweight fight during the UFC 312 event at Qudos Bank Arena on February 09, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Opening the UFC 316 fight card is a lightweight scrap between Quillan Salkilld and Yanal Ashmouz. Salkilld (8-1) scored a UFC deal with a decision win in one of the better fights from the 2024 Dana White's Contender Series bouts. He followed that with a 19-second knockout win over Anshul Jubli at UFC 312, winning a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in the opening fight of the pay-per-view card. Ashmouz (8-1) joined the UFC in 2023 after fights with the PFL, Ring of Combat, and Cage Fury, among others. He is 2-1 in the UFC and coming off a decision win over Trevor Peek in September 2024. The opening odds for this contest had Salkilld as the -220 betting favorite over the +185 Ashmouz. Those odds have shifted. Today, Salkilld is listed at -400, while Ashmouz is the +300 betting underdog. Salkilld is a fighter with a lot of hype thanks to his eight-fight winning streak and his news-making UFC debut. The 25-year-old is someone to watch, and it feels as if the UFC has him booked as the opening fight to make sure fans are in their seats for the start of the UFC 316 fight card. Ashmouz is a smart fighter, but he's giving up height, reach, and power in this matchup, and that does not bode well. The betting pick is for Salkilld to beat Ashmouz via knockout. We will have more on UFC 316 as fight night approaches, including odds, picks and predictions for the prelims and main card. Also, look for UFC 316 results and reactions on fight night.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chael Sonnen isn't sure Merab Dvalishvili really beat Sean O'Malley in first fight
Chael Sonnen has a controversial take on the first fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 this past September. O'Malley was taken down six times and controlled for more than 10 minutes in a unanimous decision loss. Sonnen thinks the judges may have gotten it wrong. "O'Malley vs. Merab, I'm not sure that Merab won that night," Sonnen told MMA Junkie. "I mean, that wasn't really met with a lot of controversy. That was pretty widely accepted, and we all got up and went home. That surprised me. If you go back and you watch that fourth and fifth round, you might come to a different opinion than you did the first time. I mean, that fight might have been 3-2 O'Malley." O'Malley argued that he should have gotten his hand raised, an opinion which was met with plenty of criticism. "He wasn't crazy," Sonnen said of O'Malley. "If you went back and watched it, the announcers were very influencing from the very beginning on that – and they are in most fights, that's the way it goes. From my perspective, because I didn't have the announcer, I was there live, so I didn't get to hear any of that. I just watched the fight. And when it was done, I'm like, 'Oh, close fight, but O'Malley won,' and it just wasn't the case." O'Malley will get an opportunity to avenge that loss when he rematches Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) on June 7 in the UFC 316 main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst disputes Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley result
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chael Sonnen isn't sure Merab Dvalishvili really beat Sean O'Malley in first fight
Chael Sonnen isn't sure Merab Dvalishvili really beat Sean O'Malley in first fight Chael Sonnen has a controversial take on the first fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 this past September. O'Malley was taken down six times and controlled for more than 10 minutes in a unanimous decision loss. Sonnen thinks the judges may have gotten it wrong. "O'Malley vs. Merab, I'm not sure that Merab won that night," Sonnen told MMA Junkie. "I mean, that wasn't really met with a lot of controversy. That was pretty widely accepted, and we all got up and went home. That surprised me. If you go back and you watch that fourth and fifth round, you might come to a different opinion than you did the first time. I mean, that fight might have been 3-2 O'Malley." O'Malley argued that he should have gotten his hand raised, an opinion which was met with plenty of criticism. "He wasn't crazy," Sonnen said of O'Malley. "If you went back and watched it, the announcers were very influencing from the very beginning on that – and they are in most fights, that's the way it goes. From my perspective, because I didn't have the announcer, I was there live, so I didn't get to hear any of that. I just watched the fight. And when it was done, I'm like, 'Oh, close fight, but O'Malley won,' and it just wasn't the case." O'Malley will get an opportunity to avenge that loss when he rematches Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) on June 7 in the UFC 316 main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley confident in grappling prep for Merab Dvalishvili rematch at UFC 316
Sean O'Malley confident in grappling prep for Merab Dvalishvili rematch at UFC 316 Sean O'Malley vows he's much better prepared in his second training camp for UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will look to avenge his bantamweight title loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 when the pair rematch in the June 7 main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O'Malley entered their first fight with a hip injury that later required surgery. Now that O'Malley was healthy enough to go through an entire training camp to fine tune his grappling, he sees himself stopping Dvalishvili's (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) offense. "Every training camp you go through, you get a little bit better," O'Malley said on "The Jim Rome Show." "This training camp has been a long training camp. It's been just a lot of grappling. That's all we've been doing. When you're doing that five, six days a week, you're going to improve. "We've been in camp for a long time now. I think we did about 12, 13 weeks of focusing on Merab, focusing on getting better in that area. It's been a long camp, and I've definitely improved. I've got to break 'The Machine.' I've got to beat him. I've got to win the positions. I know I can beat Merab." O'Malley dismissed the notion that he needs an early finish to win. "He's open to getting knocked out," O'Malley said. "I'm very confident that I can put his lights out, I'm also confident I can beat him in a five-round fight. There's definitely a possibility of me putting his lights out, but I'm ready to go for 25 minutes. I'm ready to have to dig deep."
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Ex-champ forced into major lifestyle change and ditches smoking cannabis to win title back at UFC 316
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SEAN O'MALLEY has gone to extreme lengths to try to reclaim the UFC men's bantamweight title, including ditching two of his favourite pleasures. The fan favourite's reign as king of the 135-pounders came to a gruelling and energy-sapping end at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last September. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Sean O'Malley's reign as UFC men's bantamweight champion was ended by Merab Dvalishvili Credit: GETTY 4 Defeat to Dvalishvili forced O'Malley to take stock of his training and his lifestyle Credit: INSTAGRAM@TIMWELCHMT 4 O'Malley has given up marijuana and self-love in a bid to centre himself Credit: INSTAGRAM@SUGASEAN The 30-year-old was forced to take stock of his training and daily habits in the aftermath of the dominant defeat. And he's since decided to forgo two of his favourite pleasures - MARIJUANA and SELF-LOVE. He said on his TimboSuga podcast with head coach Sean Welch: "I haven't j'd the peen (self-loved) once this year – not once in 2025. "Haven't j'd the peen, haven't been on social. I haven't gamed, either. I quit gaming. READ MORE UFC NEWS CON A MISSION UFC legend Conor McGregor 'in serious talks' to buy £6bn adult website "I did a lot of gaming, two or three hours a day, and I need to fill it with something. "We've been playing a lot of Texas Hold 'Em poker with the fellas. "It's been too fun. It's like gaming. "You say, 'One more hand.' I quit smoking weed, too. I just stopped randomly. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 Sean O'Malley feels like a new man since giving up two of his favourite pastimes Credit: GETTY "I just didn't like the way it made me feel. I'm not overeating. My sleep's better." Despite feeling the benefits of a marijuana-free life, O'Malley admits he'll eventually start smoking the Mary Jane again. I'm a UFC champ in an open marriage, people criticise our relationship but I don't care, says Sean O'Malley He continued: "I'm not done smoking forever, but just right now I don't feel the need to. "And I just don't have any desire to. I feel like it's been good.' O'Malley will look to exact his revenge on Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 316 in Newark a week on Sunday morning. And he believes his wholesale lifestyle changes will bear fruit in the cage. He said: 'I feel like a lot of things that have changed in my life are going to attribute to my performance. "I haven't J'd the peen once this year – not once in 2025." Sean O'Malley, former UFC men's bantamweight champion "For example, not being on social media. I decided in 2025 [that] I'm done with social media. "I don't get on social media, and I feel like that's changed my life. "It's only been three months, but I literally feel like it's changed my life, and I feel like that's going to play a role in my performance. "All those little things –making decisions like that, sacrifices. "I don't believe [social media] is a sacrifice, but giving up something, I feel like that is going to help me perform in the future.'
