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The Sun
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco: Start time, live stream, TV channel and full card for epic super-middleweight title clash
CALLUM SIMPSON'S Barnsley homecoming sees him put his European super-middleweight title on the line against undefeated Ivan Zucco. Mr Simpson has been in the form of his life of late and is hoping to extend his perfect 17-0 professional record. 1 The British heavy-hitter goes into this bout off the back of a fifth-round stoppage win over Elvis Ahorgah in February, despite accepting the challenge on short notice. And it was no surprise to see Simpson successfully defend his crown in style - the very same belt he snatched from Zak Chelli last August via a unanimous decision. However, the champ has already admitted that his next opponent, Zucco, will give him the 'fight of his life' as the Italian icon has an even impressive undefeated record of 21-0. Furthermore, Zucco will step into the ring off the back of a dominant second-round stoppage over Kasim Gashi in December. When is Simpson vs Zucco? Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco will take place on Saturday, June 7. Ring-walks for this huge encounter are set to get underway at approximately 10pm BST. These timing are subject to change depending on the other fights on the undercard. Oakwell Stadium - home of Barnsley FC is the chosen venue for this mega title fight and it can host around 15,000 spectators. Tickets for this event are still available on Ticketmaster Please note that StubHub and similar secondary ticket resale sites may list tickets above face value What TV channel is Simpson vs Zucco on and can it be live streamed? Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports Action. Fans can also stream the entire action through NOW TV via any compatible mobile device or tablet. What is the full card? What has been said? Champ Callum Simpson has admitted that this will be his toughest fight so far in his illustrious professional career. The British boxer said: "This is the biggest fight of my career, and I'm expecting my toughest test to date. "Last summer, I won the British and Commonwealth titles in front of my home crowd, and now we're coming back, bigger and better, fighting for the European title against an undefeated fighter in Ivan Zucco. "This isn't just another fight, it's a massive European night, and I'm coming to put on a statement performance. I need Oakwell to be a fortress on June 7 and make sure that European title stays right here in Barnsley. "The support from Barnsley means everything to me. This town has backed me from day one, and to be fighting at Oakwell again, in front of my people, is something special. "Last time we sold it out in two days, this time we're going even bigger. It's going to be a night to remember and I couldn't be prouder to represent Barnsley on the big stage."
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
UFC 316 Fight Card: Prelims Odds, Picks And Predictions
The UFC 316 pay-per-view fight card takes place this weekend. The event, which features two title fights at the top of the marquee, takes place on Saturday, June 7, from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While most of the focus will be on the men's 135-pound title fight between Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley and the women's bantamweight championship bout between 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 theUFC 316 preliminary fight card. The main card of UFC 316 streams on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. 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. Andreas Gustafsson - Welterweight At the top of the UFC 316 prelims is a flyweight matchup between Bruno Silva (14-6-2-1) and Joshua Van (13-2). Silva is the No. 12 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings, while Van enters UFC 316 as the No. 14 ranked competitor. Silva joined the UFC in 2019. He opened his UFC career with two losses and one no contest. Silva righted the ship in 2021, scoring a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his knockout win over JP Buys. He followed that with three more 'Performance of the Night' awards thanks to his stoppage victories over Victor Rodriguez, Tyson Nam, and Cody Durden. Silva's wins put him at No. 12 in the division, earning him a matchup opposite the No. 9 ranked Manel Kape. Kape won that fight via TKO. Van began his UFC run in 2023 after winning the Fury FC flyweight title. Van opened his UFC career with three wins. His winning streak of eight fights overall ended in July 2024 when Charles Johnson knocked him out. Van bounced back from that setback by winning three in a row. He is coming off a UFC 313 decision victory over Rei Tsuruya in a fight where Tsuruya replaced Silva, who was Van's initial opponent. When the odds opened for this bout, Silva was listed as the +250 betting underdog to the -300 Van. Today, Van is the -500 betting favorite over the +375 Silva. The 23-year-old Van has looked better in each of his outings, and although he has not had a lot of time since his most recent outing, he should prevail in this fight. Silva is tough and hits hard, so there's a chance the 35-year-old could pull a KO upset, but that's a longshot value bet. The betting pick is Van to win via decision. Azamat Murzakanov (14-0) looks to hold onto his perfect record when he faces Brendson Ribeiro (17-7) in a light heavyweight matchup on the UFC 316 prelims. The 36-year-old Murzakanov checks in for this week's fight card as the No. 12 fighter in the UFC's 205-pound weight class. He was initially signed to the UFC in 2017 but failed a drug test under USADA that netted him a two-year suspension. The UFC gave Murzakanov a second shot in 2021 via the Dana White's Contender Series. He earned a contract with a first-round knockout and then went 4-0 with three knockouts between March 2022 and August 2024. His most recent is an August 2024 'Performance of the Night' bonus-winning knockout over Alonzo Menifield. Murzakanov failed a second drug test and served a six-month suspension after testing positive for LGD-4033 in an out-of-competition test taken on Oct. 8. Ribeiro also picked up his contract via the DWCS, earning his deal in 2023. He went 0-2 in his first two UFC outings, but the 28-year-old has picked up back-to-back victories since then, most recently submitting Diyar Nurgozhay in March. Murzakanov opened as a -350 favorite, and he has climbed to -600. Meanwhile, Ribeiro was listed as the +285 betting underdog and is now +425. Look for Murzakanov to pick up a knockout win over Ribeiro in this matchup. Two ranked heavyweights, Serghei Spivac (17-5) and Waldo Cortes-Acosta (13-1), also compete on the UFC 316 prelims. Spivac comes into Saturday's card as the No. 7 UFC heavyweight. The 30-year-old has been with the UFC since 2019 and has had some ups and downs during his run with the promotion. Spivac put together a 6-1 record between July 2020 and February 2023, with his sole loss coming to Tom Aspinall in September 2021. However, he is 1-2 in his past three outings, falling to Ciryl Gane and Jailton Almeida by knockout while defeating Marcin Tybura via submission. Spivac's loss to Almeida is his most recent outing. That fight took place in January. Cortes-Acosta is ranked No. 11 at heavyweight heading into UFC 316. The 33-year-old has been competing under the UFC banner since 2022. He joined the UFC after winning the LFA heavyweight crown and scoring a 2022 win on a DWCS card. Cortes-Acosta began his UFC run at 2-1, but he is 4-0 since he dropped a decision to Marcos Rogério de Lima in April 2023. Cortes-Acosta is coming off a March knockout win over Ryan Spann. The opening betting odds for this fight saw Spivac listed at -150, while Cortes-Acosta came in at +130. Today, Spivac is the -135 favorite over the +115 Cortes-Acosta. The pick is the underdog, Cortes-Acosta, to win via decision. A late addition to UFC 316 is the welterweight matchup between Khaos Williams (15-4) and Andreas Gustafsson (11-2). Williams joined the UFC in early 2020 with a 9-1 record. Today, he is 15-4, and coming off a submission loss to Gabriel Bonfim in February. Williams has never lost back-to-back fights, following his past two UFC defeats with decision wins. Gustafsson earned a UFC contract in 2024 with a DWCS win. The UFC has booked him three times since then, with each of those fights falling through. He was most recently scheduled to face Trevin Giles and then Jeremiah Wells at UFC Vegas 107, but those fights fell through. Gustafsson was moved to UFC 316 to face Williams after Williams' opponents, Uros Medic and then Albert Tadevosyan, could not compete. Williams is the -225 favorite over the +190 Gustafsson. The betting pick is for Williams to pick up a knockout win in Newark, but Gustafsson to win via knockout is also a pick that makes sense and presents some value. We will have more on UFC 316 as fight night approaches, including odds, picks and predictions for each of the main card fights. Also, look for UFC 316 results and reactions 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.
