It may have been April Fool's Day, but Dana White wasn't joking when he tweeted yesterday, promising fans a major announcement.
When the UFC CEO's revelation finally arrived, it was absolutely worth the wait.
White revealed that not one, but two championship bouts are set to take place at UFC 316, which will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7th.
In the main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will get the opportunity to avenge his loss to the man who usurped him at the top of the 135-pound division last year, Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC).
The pair headlined the UFC's gala event at The Sphere in Las Vegas last September, where Dvalishvili dominated "Suga" over five rounds to claim the UFC bantamweight title. "The Machine" followed that performance with another one-sided victory over Umar Nurmagomedov in January of this year.
O'Malley had cited injury issues as a major factor in his defeat to Dvalishvili at UFC 306, and after taking some time to heal, the former champion will get an immediate shot at redemption on June 7th.
"Merab is on a 12-fight win streak", White said in a video posted to the UFC's Instagram account. "He has beaten former champions like O'Malley, Cejudo, Jan, Aldo, and he holds the UFC Bantamweight records for win streak, most takedowns landed, and total control time.
"He is facing the always exciting and number one contender, "Suga" Sean O'Malley. He's already one of the best strikers to ever grace the UFC bantamweight division with the highest ever striking accuracy and striking differential. 12 of his 18 wins have come by knockout, and all but one of his wins in the UFC have earned him a performance bonus".
Women's Bantamweight Title On The Line At UFC 316
In the co-main event, former PFL champion and Judo Olympian Kayla Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will challenge reigning champion Julianna Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) for the bantamweight title.
Harrison steamrolled former champion Holly Holm in her Octagon debut at UFC 300 last summer, and after outpointing Ketlen Vieira in her second UFC outing in October, she now gets the opportunity to face two-time champion Peña at UFC 316.
"Pena is the Ultimate Fighter Season 18 winner, and has wins over former champions, Raquel Pennington and the GOAT, Amanda Nunes", said White. "She will be facing number-two ranked, Kayla Harrison. Harrison is the first ever American gold medalist in judo, and after earning her second gold in 2016 Olympic Games, made the transition to MMA. She's earned championships and other promotions. But now, she gets her opportunity to prove she is the best in the world".
Fights Confirmed For UFC 316 So Far:
- (C) Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
- (C) Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison – for women’s bantamweight title
- Mario Bautista vs. Marlon Vera
- Shamil Gaziev vs. Serghei Spivac
- Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van
- Azamat Murzakanov vs. Johnny Walker
