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